The Motherless Child: Splendia's Story
by Dreamy Loner
Summary: All through her life, she has heard enough lies. She lives through them. She endures them. She even appreciates them. But there is one lie she can never ever condone. She is the superhero's daughter and yet a motherless child. Whole summary inside. A side story of Fire and Ice/Saving The Villain. Flippy x Flaky, Lifty x Splendid.
1. Chapter 1

**Related Tales:** _Fire and Ice_ + _Saving The Villain_ (You don't necessarily have to read these two before reading this. But if you're a fan of these two tales, you definitely shouldn't miss this one xD)

**Summary:** As the superhero's daughter, Splendia Squirrels grows up with a tragic past. There is so much to bear being a motherless child, especially when this painful date of the year comes. A few days before Mother's Day, she overhears a horrendous conversation between her father, Splendid and her uncle, Lifty. And she finally realizes why all these years she has been brought up without a mother.

**Characters & pairings:** Flippy x Flaky, Cuddles x Giggles, Splendid x (Surprise!), Frankie x Splendia, Fannie x Snuggles

**Remarks:** The story begins following the event of the chapter "A Fearful Date" in the series _Fire and Ice_.

**A/N:** I wrote this story a few weeks ago, when I was still having my summer trip in Australia. The whole writing style is a crap and the grammar sucks, even when I check it back right now. The whole reason of putting it up here is intended for a joke. It initially came up as a parody but I had a lot of fun writing this. You'll see why I say so. It is published as a separate series because it contains more than 3 chapters and it acts both as a chapter story in _Fire and Ice_ as well as a side-story (or a sequel?) of _Saving The Villain_.

* * *

The bluenette never thought she would actually space out in a formal lesson. After all, she has always been an adaptable person. There is absolutely nothing to boast about but the girl can always endure almost everything, even the most tedious things on earth. As if something doesn't appeal to her much, she can still concentrate hard and tolerate it.

"It might have to do with my superpowers." She chanted quietly, not expecting the boy next to her to hear that.

"What might?" Slightly brushing away the crimson bangs on his left eye, the redhead turned to peek at his neighbour and smirked.

"Oh God, your hearing is unexpectedly good, Frankie." The girl complimented sarcastically, shooting the boy a scornful stare.

"What? Even if I don't have a supersonic hearing like you, your grunts are still way too loud for me to miss." Frankie taunted, propping his chins in his palms with a crooked grin. "So, what's bothering you, Splendia?"

"Like I was saying, this stamina of mine must be part of my superpowers." The bluenette said. Snatching a rubber from her classmate, she started erasing all the doodles she had been doing on her textbook.

"What stamina?" The boy leaned in and glimpsed the drawings his friend had done, blurting out an amused giggle as he found the cartoon version of himself.

"Frankie, don't you think this lesson sucks?" Seeing the redhead as clueless and dense as he usually was, the girl decided to make her complaint explicit. "And it's only natural that I'm still enduring such boredom. Because I've got immense stamina since birth!"

"What are you talking about?" Frankie laughed, tapping the table fervently. "You're not the only one who finds this lesson boring. Hell, you're so funny, Splendia. And you call the ability to withstand boredom stamina? I have that quality too."

"Oh, just shut up." The bluenette pouted and smacked her friend upside the head, not realizing her super strength almost caused a bump on the boy's forehead.

"Darn, what's wrong with you? You can just say you're bored." Frankie chided, pinching the girl in retaliation. "You don't have to go as far as to brag about your superpower and bluff me like that. Eek, you have the same ego as your dad!"

"I do not!" The bluenette rebutted.

"Yes, you do."

"I do not!"

"Yes, you-"

"Oh, would you two please shut up?" A voice butted in, cutting off the skirmish in a trice. The two youngsters glared at the interrupter sitting before them and growled. Feeling somewhat pressured, the nosy boy instinctively gulped and turned back to the front.

"He looks scared. It must be you, Frankie." Splendia whispered, nudging the redhead's elbow. "Don't be so volatile."

"Me? Volatile? You've got to be kidding me." Frankie retorted, pointing to the girl's drawing. "And was that me you were trying to sketch earlier on?"

"You saw it? It goes with Fannie and Snuggles as well." The bluenette chortled and flipped open her textbook, proudly displaying her crude sketching.

"Okay, I can see it now. You make my eyes too big, my hair too messy. I look like a freak." The redhead criticized mercilessly. "And why is Snuggles looking so much more handsome than me? It doesn't look right."

"What? Are you getting miffed because of a stupid picture?" The bluenette frowned, not knowing if she ought to defend her drawing skills or to bask in the ridiculous entertainment her friend had just granted her by throwing such an unnecessary tantrum. "To be honest, I do think Snuggles is more handsome than you, hehee."

"That's...the most provocative and blatant thing I've ever heard." The redhead snarled, trying hard to retain his composure as the blunt, sensitive comment struck him. "That sissy is a wimp. You have no idea what happened last week when he tried to date my sister."

"Now we're speaking of something intriguing." The girl put down her textbook calmly and smiled gleefully. "Tell me about it."

"Apologize to me first."

"Why do I have to apologize?"

"Because you've just mocked me." The redhead ranted, crossing his arms sternly as he loured at his friend. "You were bad-mouthing me about my appearance."

"For heavens' sake, you're jealous of your own sister's boyfriend? It's so unlikely of you to make a fuss over such a minor issue." The bluenette cracked up.

"I told you he's a wimp! I can't see why Fannie fell for him either. So, are you going to hear the story or not?" The redhead lashed out, growing impatient with their endless squabble, though he had to admit his envy was simply pointless. The blond in reality does seem to possess some indescribable charisma.

"That doesn't only make you volatile. Dude, you're so vengeful and hostile." The bluenette grumbled, rolling her eyes in annoyance. "Fine, I'm sorry for teasing you and comparing you with Snuggles. Satisfied?"

"Okay." The redhead sniggered and began to recall the tale he had been gathering from his twin sister. "So, it went like this. The whole incident started with a pure invitation to a weekend date. That wimp finally mustered the courage to ask my sister out. And yea, they thought they could spend a lovey dovey afternoon catching some decent movies and hitting the fun fair. But guess what? My dad flipped out in the morning and went berserk after discovering their relationship."

"And?" Splendia gasped, clinging closer to the redhead as if it would help suppress her curiosity.

"He tried to kill Snuggles but my relentless sister caught him right on the spot. The three of them went out for the date together."

"Huh?" The bluenette frowned, her expression gradually turning into a twist of bewilderment. "How could your dad tag along with them? It's absurd."

"You think so? Dad left them alone afterwards. Eventually, Snuggles and Fannie ended up having pretty much fun watching the baseball match!"

"Woah, that's amazing..." Splendia exclaimed, struggling to come up with a better response.

"Nah, not at all. Because I wanted to watch that baseball match too!" The redhead grumbled forthrightly, shaking his head in discontentment. "But Dad only got Fannie the tickets. He's always so…ugh, unfair."

"Well, he does seem to have a partiality for Fannie." Splendia mused, smiling coyly at her partner. "Which is a good thing, right?"

"Ugh, I don't like it." Frankie snorted, snapping his fingers in irritation. Jealousy once more was plastered all over his pasty face.

"But if you get all your mom's attention, it's only reasonable for Fannie to get all your dad's. Don't you think this sounds more fair? Plus, you're always pampering Fannie in one way or another. You're just jealous."

"What?" Frankie widened his eyes in astonishment, mostly because his soulmate had basically spoken the entire truth.

"Hey, those two at the back. Stop chattering and pay attention!" A hoarse voice yelled. The two hushed and spun around to scowl at their blue-haired teacher.

"Damn, I really want to skip this class." Frankie muttered, tossing his pen away. He always has problems dealing with Lumpy, who can possibly be considered as the dumbest person in the town. No one can ever understand why he is teaching in such a prestigious school. They must most probably have run out of teaching staff. With his exceptionally low intelligence, this substitute teacher spent an hour getting nowhere in a passage which even a 5-year-old could comprehend. In the end, everyone in the class simply began snoozing or doing their own stuff.

"You don't usually ditch classes." Splendia said, focusing back on her textbook. She started highlighting the text on her own which she figured would be a hundred times more effective than listening to all the bullshit Lumpy was rambling about.

"Why are you so pretentious all of a sudden? It's the last period anyway." Frankie teased, poking the girl to disturb her learning.

"Stop it, Frankie. I'm trying to kill my boredom by studying! Do me a favor and shut your big mouth."

"Come on, talk to me. It's my turn to become bored."

"Ay, you're so noisy!" Giving up her attempt to concentrate on her studies, the bluenette slammed her book and yielded to the mindless temptation. "Now, what do you want to talk about?"

"Do you think I should get something for Mom on Mother's Day?" The boy asked naively, veering to a completely brand-new topic of discussion.

"Um…" Splendia paused for a moment. She would be glad to offer some advice but considering her own mother...

"Ah…I'm sorry…" Immediately noticing his offense, the boy turned away in sheer guilt. He had completely forgotten that Splendia grew up without a mother! How insensible of him to have brought up the topic of Mother's Day in the first place.

"It's okay." Splendia shrugged. "I think you do need to give her a present. Your mom seems really caring. And she always prepares your lunch box."

Splendia knows how well Flaky cooks because Frankie always shares his lunch with her. No, more precisely, they exchange what they have for lunch.

"Your dad cooks well too." Frankie said, striving to sound candid but to no avail.

"But that's a different thing." The bluenette stated, twildding her fingers grimly. "I think it works differently for Mom…I don't know. I don't remember what my mom was like, to be frank. But if I ever had one now, I would be pleased. Dad is Dad. Mom is always much…sweeter, I guess?"

Laughing at his friend's childish perception, Frankie patted her back playfully. "Wait till you ask Fannie. She must think Dad is way better."

"That's because he always lets her have her way, right?"

"That's right. So, I'm definitely going to buy Mom something, or make something tasteful for her."

"Yay." Splendia applauded for her friend before the bell went chiming, calling the end of the day.

Swiftly, both youngsters packed their bags and trotted out of the classroom. Unable to bear another second being inside the same room as the idiotic teacher, they had been waiting far too long for the class dismissal.

"Okay, so, Fannie is going out with Snuggles again. I suppose it's only the two of us." Frankie announced as they ambled down the school hall. "Do you want to do something? I don't have sports club to attend today."

"Really? It would be nice if we could just drop by…" Before Splendia could finish her speech, a slender figure caught her sight. A green-haired man, dressed neatly in a white shirt and a black vest was standing at the front gate. As soon as he spotted the adorable bluenette, he pulled out his hands from his pockets and waved at her friskily.

Frankie squinted and frowned at his friend inquisitively. A smile sprawled across her face when the man started approaching them. As he jogged closer to the two teens, the redhead puckered his lips dubiously because he was well aware of that man's identity.

"Hey, precious." The man said, his utterance further obfuscating Frankie.

"Excuse me, are you a child kidnapper?" The redhead interrgoated harshly, seeing no need to show any courtesy in front of the notorious criminal. The man, finally sensing Frankie's insolent glares, cocked his brows and grinned.

"Is he your friend?" He asked the girl.

The bluenette merely chuckled and nodded.

"Oh wait, you're Flaky's son, right?" The man concluded sharply. It wasn't particularly difficult to recognize that remarkable crimson hair with unique white dandruff.

"Yes, and I know you're a thief. Are you here to swindle us?"

"Kid, I haven't stolen a thing for a long while." The greenette replied idly. "That's an old quote you heard."

"Really." The redhead glowered skeptically at the criminal, not willing to take any belief in the words he said.

"Yea." The man averted his gaze back to Splendia. "Ready to go home?"

"Yup, Uncle Lifty." Splendia nodded and turned back to her companion. "Sorry, Frankie, since my uncle is here to fetch me home, I can't hang out with you today."

"What?" Frankie yapped, utterly baffled. Did he just hear her call Lifty her uncle?

"What do you mean 'what'?"

"Wait, hold on a second." Frankie dragged the bluenette at least a meter away and whispered to her. "He's your uncle?"

"Yes."

"No, seriously, I mean it. You two have blood-relations?"

"We do."

"But…"

"Mom is his sister. So I have been told." Splendia claimed.

"But...but…he looks suspicious." Frankie protested, still not feeling confident with entrusting her to the insolent former criminal.

"Frankie, don't be so cynical." Splendia laughed, instantly thrusting aside all her friend's claims. "He always fetches me home when he leaves work early. We live together."

"Huh?" The redhead gasped incredulously, completely stunned by the bluenette's confession.

"See ya." Before Frankie could bid her farewell, Splendia took Lifty's arm and scampered away merrily.

"I don't know you hang out with Flaky's son." Lifty said, leading Splendia into his van.

"Oh, Frankie is a really cool guy." Splendia said. "Only a bit temperamental and paranoid."

"Paranoid, eh? That's totally like his mom." Lifty tittered, starting the engine.

"Hey, Uncle Lifty, can you help me with some Maths?" The bluenette asked eagerly, popping out from the backseat. "I know you're good at Maths! You always did your calculation in your heist, right?"

"I thought you're already a genius." Lifty said, keeping his eyes fixated on the road.

"I am not." Splendia giggled and slumped down in her seat.

"Why don't you ask your dad?"

"No! You know how he does things! He can spend an hour explaining just one equation! The next thing I know, I'll be finishing my assignment at twelve!"

Lifty laughed, steering the van around the corner and stopping right outside a café.

"Aren't we heading home?"

"No. You want some dessert?"

"Yes! How did you know?"

"Because your face says it all." Lifty joked, hopping out of the vehicle. The two entered the shop and found themselves a comfy seat near the windows. Splendia enjoys tea as much as everyone else in the town does. Having tea has become an irresistible norm in Happy Tree Town, which somewhat explains the unimaginably huge quantity of diners and cafés around. But more than having tea alone, Splendia loves sharing this leisure moment of the day with someone.

Giggles, the waitress, came around to take the order. She greeted her customers enthusiastically. Splendia knows her as Snuggles' mom but she rarely sees her around.

"Oh, hello, Lifty, having tea with your niece again, eh?" Giggles smiled brightly, giving the girl a little wink.

"Yea." Lifty replied, sluggishly skimming through the menu.

"And how's your day, sweetheart?" Giggles asked the girl.

"Very nice, Mrs. Rabbits." Splendia grinned back politely. "At least, no one in my class has died today."

"That's a good thing to hear."

"I think I'll have my usual one." Lifty said, finally peeping out from the menu.

"Me too."

"Alright. Back in 10 minutes." The lady said and whirled around, wandering away from the table.

Several seconds later, another waiter came around, holding out a piece of pamphlet and smiling at the two waiting customers.

"Hello, guys, to celebrate Mother's Day, we're having a special discount on the buffet!" The waiter proclaimed. "Sure enough, you won't see this price elsewhere. There'll be exclusive party and music show involved."

Lifty and Splendia gawked at the promoter peevishly. The fool, not catching the slightest hint that they wanted him to leave, continued. "Trust me, if you want to sign up for this ultimate special discount, you'll have to do it fast. We already have more than 50 tables booked for that special night. Does your wife like buffet? If so, this is most definitely a wonderful way to celebrate the day!"

"I don't have a wife." Lifty barked indignantly. "This is my niece and we aren't interested."

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry." The man apologised and slipped away in embarrassment.

"Just ignore him." Lifty said to the girl.

"It's alright." Splendia murmured, trying to get a view out of the window. Her eyes roamed over the signs and posters outside. Every single one of them was promoting something about Mother's Day. It seemed that most people were already occupied by the festive mood. After all, family culture is highly valued in the town. Even if she wished so much to avoid hearing the word 'Mother', she could barely do so. She, therefore, decided to go along with it. She would only have to endure the nasty festival for a few more days or so, just like the way she had endured the boredom in the class.

"Hey…Uncle Lifty…Can you tell me more about Mom?" Splendia asked, her emerald eyes sparkling with anticipation. It had been a long time since the girl last heard about her mother's tales.

Lifty smiled uneasily and fiddled with the straw in his drink. Those naïve eyes were almost a reflection of his. She has inherited those green, shimmering orbs that never fail to penetrate a single soul. He would have told her more if he was allowed to. But he knew Splendid wouldn't like it.

"Well…You may think of her as a rather emotional person." Lifty said, scratching the back of his neck. "Her mood fluctuates a lot. And she's always getting into mischief."

"That sounds like you." Splendia pinpointed.

"Urgh, I don't know." Lifty grunted.

"Haha, do you know how Dad met her?"

"Oh, school, I guess." Lifty answered casually. "They're completely opposites so don't ask me why they ended up together. I always question that, actually."

"Where…did she go?" Splendia cooed, lowering her head. She tried to hold back her tears but they came cascading down her cheeks. Lifty bit his lips in dismay. He knew right from the start this would happen if they talked about her mother. That's why he always hesitated to answer her questions.

"I…I don't know." Lifty mumbled. He would have chased after his younger sister if he knew her whereabouts. Even his twin brother, Shifty, was ignorant.

Lifty slipped out of his seat and sat down next to Splendia.

"Do you think…she'll ever come back?" Splendia asked, perking up and gaping at the distressed male.

"Er…perhaps." Lifty said. He hated to see her cry. He could never handle a crying girl. If Splendid found out that they had been discussing over this topic, he would absolutely be upset. He didn't want Splendia to know too much about her mother.

"Dad told me that she left because they had a fight. She robbed a bank or something. He was mad and then they quarreled."

Lifty furrowed his brows. At times, he had to admire Splendid's lying techniques. He couldn't believe the hero could lie to his own daughter like that. But again, it was done for a good purpose. They had to deceive the girl with a reasonable excuse as to why her mother had abandoned her.

"Is it true?" Splendia asked. Once more, her enormous eyes glittered with pleas. The greenette felt a lump in his throat.

"Um…yes…"

"Oh." Splendia's lips curved downwards in disappointment. Lifty gently draped his arms around her shoulder. It stung his heart to realize she was experiencing the very same thing he had gone through in his own childhood. He couldn't exactly remember how his mother had dumped him and his siblings. It was something he had been struggling to wipe out from his memory anyway.

"Hey… you still have us…right? Your dad is always there for you."

"Yes…"

Lifty breathed a sigh of relief as he saw her smile reappear. At least, he wouldn't have to report to Splendid what had happened.

* * *

The hero opened the door keenly and welcomed his family. Splendia was smiling charmingly as usual, bouncing onto her father to give him a hug.

"Heya, Dad!" Splendia cackled as Splendid swung a turn with her in his arms.

"Hello, cupcake. Eating snacks again? Aren't you afraid of getting a cavity?"

"Nah, Uncle Lifty's the one who suggested it." Splendia pointed at the oblivious greenette, casting the blame directly on him.

"Woah, I did nothing! This beastie ate a whole cream cake on her own!" Lifty held up his hands in defense. "You're framing me, eh? Where did you learn that trick?"

"From you." Splendia laughed.

Splendid put girl down and snickered. "Well, dinner's ready. Better get seated."

"Okay!" Joyfully, Splendia scurried away into the dining room.

"Hey…What happened?" The hero's smile vanished at once. Sensitive as he was, Lifty's dejected look caught him the second he entered the house.

"Nothing." The greenette shook his head and walked past Splendid. The bluenette clutched his elbow and looked at him apprehensively. "No, tell me."

"Dad! Where's the dinner? I'm starving~" Splendia's high-pitched voice wafted out from the dining room, putting an abrupt end to the conversation between the two males.

"We'll talk about this later." Lifty said, shooting Splendid a cautious look.

"Okay." The hero nodded and flew off into the kitchen.

"Dad! Dad! I got an A in last week's Chemistry test!" Splendia crowed with delight, showing her test paper to Splendid after she finished her feast.

"Well, you got rewarded for your effort."

"She didn't actually study." Lifty said, laughing a bit. "I saw her flip through the book roughly in the last second before school."

"Uncle Lifty!" The girl snorted, fuming that he had leaked out her secret. That day, she had undoubtedly forgotten all about the test. She could only scan through her textbook briefly and yet, as miraculously as always, she got a distinction.

"Well, you got rewarded for your intelligence then." Splendid joined in the laughter.

"That's enough of the teasing." Splendia said, folding her test paper and chucking it back into her bag. "I'm going back upstairs to do my assignments."

"Good luck, cupcake." Splendid scoffed.

The two men waited until the girl completely disappeared from their sight. Splendid turned back to ogle Lifty, who was still gobbling down his meat pie.

"So, what's the matter with you?" Splendid asked.

"You should ask what the matter is with her." Lifty said, wiping his mouth with a napkin.

"What?"

"You know what is coming this weekend, don't you?" Lifty said. "Every year when that day comes, it's always a disaster."

"Oh…did she…ask about her again?"

"Yes and this time, she cried for hours." Lifty blinked sadly at the empty plate. "We were in this café and some jerk came around promoting Mother's Day special. It caught Splendia."

"It can't be helped." Splendid said nonchalantly. "I mean…we've done all we could…right?"

"And she told me how she always prepares a Mother's Day gift each year in hopes that she will return one day."

Splendid sighed, twirling his fork in contemplation.

"And it always reminds me…" Lifty trailed off, pulling on a doleful look. "How Shifty and I used to grow up without a mom. She's more fragile than I thought. We might always see her smile but she's clearly feigning it. She deserves a better home than this."

The hero put down the fork gingerly and turned to face his mate. Soundlessly, he took Lifty into his arms.

"W-What're you doing…" Lifty panicked, shoving the bluenette away. "She might see us!"

"Lifty…" The hero piped up. "Do you think we should tell her the truth now?"

"What? Are you crazy?" Lifty yelped quietly, his eyes brimming with tears.

"It's been ten years and we all know we can't keep this from her forever." Splendid said. Withdrawing from the greenette, he placed his hands on his lap. "She'll find it out later."

"Well, until then, we shouldn't tell her." Lifty argued.

"I'm really tired, Lifty." Splendid confessed, rubbing his temples in frustration. "I've been coming up with more lies than ever in my life. I hate lying to her. I just…can't do it anymore. And it's unfair to you as well. She's never called you 'Dad' once."

"So, you really think it's alright to tell her everything?" Lifty wept. "To tell her that she's never had a mother and her parents are gay and she's just some sort of artificial child, an unwanted product of Sniffles' stupid experiment? Do you really think she can take that?

"No." Splendid shook his head in denial. "But if we keep on concealing the truth, as much as it tortures her, it's torturing both of us. And I…I don't know how long I can hold on until I have to blurt out the truth to her myself. Maybe it's better to reveal everything to her sooner."

"How…are we going to tell her?"

"Um…" Splendid pondered bitterly. "I think-"

"You don't have to tell me."

A tremulous, husky voice echoed in the corridor out of the blue. Startled, both males whipped around in shock. Fear struck them hard as they saw who was standing at the bottom of the stairs. Splendia, slouching against the wall and scowled at the two men fiercely.

"Splendia?!"

"Is it true…" Splendia stuttered, her hands shaking. "What you just said…What do you mean I'm an artificial child? Oh shit, are you two gay?"

Splendid and Lifty exchanged a painful glance. There was no way to deny the truth when the girl basically eavesdropped every detail of their conversation.

"Um…yes, precious…" Lifty slurred. "You…were an experiment."

"Splendia, listen, we didn't mean to…."

"So, you aren't my uncle?" Splendia glared at Lifty, clenching her fists.

"He's…your father." Splendid said.

"And you?" Splendia glared at the hero ominously, her eyes flashing with rage.

"I'm your father, too."

"What the hell?" Splendia shrieked and stumbled backwards in confusion. "So, I'm not even a human?"

"No…" Lifty said. "You…are…actually just a clone made from our genes."

"Splendia, listen, we-"

"No, I DON'T WANT TO LISTEN!" Splendia squealed and clamped her hands over her ears, straying away from the hero in disgust. She could never believe their words. All those outrageous ideas made no sense to anyone and in particular not to her. She refused to believe everything she had heard. She would never act along with such fatuous nonsense.

"Please." Lifty strode forwards and took her hand. .

"NO! DON'T TOUCH ME." Splendia roared, shaking off the greenette's grip violently. "This is a dream. I know this is a dream. You're lying. YOU ARE ALL LIARS!"

"We didn't mean to lie to you!" Splendid said. "Please, can we sit down and talk?"

"NO!" Splendia screeched, gritting her teeth in exasperation. "YOU MAKE ME SICK! BOTH OF YOU."

With that, the girl stormed out of the house in a flash, leaving the two men frozen in perplexity.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **Hehee, I'm updating because I wrote this story some time ago. The style is slightly different than the way I'm writing my current stories. Gosh, it took me a while to spell check everything. I still think the whole writing can be improved better but it's hard to change things considering I wrote this chapter almost a month ago.

In response to the question as how on earth I came up with the initial idea of this tale, well...I must say, at first, when I started **_Fire and Ice_**, I made Splendia a motherless girl. I felt partially responsible for her tragic past so I saw the need to explain a bit on her background. Originally, I wanted to make her mother Lifty's and Shifty's sister but I shook that idea off after finding it hard to introduce a new OC. Plus, since Lifty and Splendid are a couple in another fanfic **_Saving The Villain_**, I decided to make the story swing this way. Why don't we try making two boys have a family of their own? It would be fun. And yea, Splendia is basically a human clone. She's got a girl's face but Lifty's eyes and Splendid's hair. Haha, totally a parody to be honest.

* * *

The redhead sprinted uphill as quickly as he could. Splendia's previous whimpers on the phone swirled endlessly in his head. He had received a call from the girl but all that came out of her mouth were sniffles and wails. Her broken speech was barely conceivable. It simply spooked the boy because he had never seen her behave so eerily before. The girl might not have attained good mastery of her superpowers but she had always had tremendous emotional control, unlike him.

"Splendia?" Frankie panted, beads of sweat dribbling down his forehead as a result of running. The bluenette cowered in one corner, her face completely shielded by the shades. Curling up like a ball, she wept and shuddered quietly.

"Hey…" The redhead loomed towards her. The girl jolted reflexively as he prodded her arm. "It's only me."

Blanching at his touch, the girl fluttered her glowing emerald eyes and gazed at Frankie. Those limpid pupils dilated when she spotted his face. Flustered, the boy kneeled down next to her, gently enclasping her with his hands.

"Frankie…I…I…" Splendia trailed off. Her doleful whines grew louder, almost piercing the boy's ears.

"Gosh, what's happened? Why are you up on the hill alone?" The disconcerted boy asked, trying to wipe away his friend's tears but more seemed to pour out of her eyes. She sniveled uncontrollably, choking in every word she uttered. In the end, the boy decided not to rush her. He simply cuddled her and waited until she calmed down a little.

"I…I don't want them to…to find me." Splendia stuttered and withdrew from her friend. "Frankie…you must help me…I…I want to die…"

"What?" The boy exclaimed, hardly believing what he heard. Those melancholy words rendered him puzzled and petrified at the same time. "No! What're you talking about? What's going on? What-"

"They lied to me!" Splendia screeched, shaking her friend deliriously. "They've never told me the truth! I have no mother, Frankie! I'm just a clone! A surplus from some sort of obnoxious experiment!"

"What? I…I don't understand." As much as he attempted to process her utterance, the redhead couldn't comprehend a single thing she said. Stupefied, he grasped her hands and held them close to his chest. "What do you mean? Who lied to you?"

"My dad…" Splendia murmured and lowered her head. "No…I mean…my **_dads_**…"

"Your what?"

"Lifty isn't my uncle…" Splendia cried, pulling away from the redhead as though his touch was venomous. "He's my dad. Both of them are gay! Oh God, I'm just a fucking clone made from their damn genes. I'm not even a human being! I'm just an artificial child! And they've never told me that I don't have a real mother!"

The boy gasped. Wholly mystified by his friend's agitating confession, he wondered if he ought to believe it or not. The idea was simply hideous but again he was in no place to judge whether it was probable or not. As far as he knows, the town is cursed and nothing is ever rational. For instance, people keep dying from random accidents and getting resurrected the next day.

"Is that…true?"

"They said so themselves! I overheard their conversation and they admitted everything to me!" Splendia shrieked, raising her voice assertively. "Ah! Why…Frankie…Why can't I have a mom like everyone else? Why did they have to lie to me? Why can't I be just a human…I don't like this! I DON'T LIKE THIS! I want to leave this town! I don't wanna see them again! Please, Frankie! I want to go as far away from here as possible! Bring me out of this town. Please…"

The girl broke down again, her pale face drenched in torrents of tears. Caught in wordlessness and bemusement, the boy hugged her tenderly and laid her head on his shoulder, wishing his reassurance could somehow find its way to soothe her. He had no clue how to respond to her question. He could, nonetheless, sense all her despair and frustration. She collapsed limply to the ground, her body still quivering in extreme trauma.

"Splendia…I need to take you home." The boy offered.

"No!" The girl bawled, shaking her head frantically. "Don't! You can't do that to me! I thought you were my friend! You said you would help me!"

"I would but you really need to confront your **_fathers_**." Frankie said. "You can't just run off like this!"

"Shut up!" Splendia howled, shoving the boy away ruthlessly. "I'm not going home! You can't make me! I won't go back to them! I hate them! I hate you too if you betray me!"

"Fine!" Frankie shushed the girl with another embrace. "We'll think of something…We'll think of something to solve this, okay? We can't stay out all night. If you don't want to go home, come and stay at mine. Everything will be alright tomorrow. Trust me."

"You…You aren't lying to me, are you?" Splendia blubbered, pulling her brows together.

"No…I never lie to you." Frankie purred. "I'm sorry."

"O-Okay…" Splendia took a deep breath and swallowed her tears.

"Come on, it's getting cold up here." The boy said, clutching her hand tightly. Together, they plodded downhill and headed towards the redhead's threshold.

* * *

The door creaked open slowly. Everyone around the table turned their heads automatically towards the entrance, each carrying the very same impatient, irate expression.

"Frankie! Where have you been? Dinner is a bit late today but that doesn't mean you can sneak out and-" Fannie paused and widened her eyes in disbelief. "Splendia?!"

The bluenette cringed timidly behind Frankie's back. Flippy and Flaky both glanced up at the uninvited visitor, blinking avidly at their son.

"Sorry for coming home late." Frankie said, standing aside to introduce his despondent friend. "Dad, Mom, this is Splendia. She's…er…a little depressed today. Something's happened at her home so she's staying over here tonight. Is that okay?"

The couple remained silent for a while. Their eyes scanned over the girl from head to toe.

"Um…sure thing." Flippy nodded.

"But may I know what's happened, sweetheart?" Flaky inquired nervously, walking towards the slightly trembling bluenette.

"Mom, can we start the dinner first?" Fannie interjected, shooting her twin a disgruntled grimace. "My stomach is growling because of this tardy brat."

"Of course." Flaky giggled, grabbing Splendia's wrist. "Come and dine with us."

"I…I've already had dinner…" Splendia muttered, declining the offer reluctantly.

"It doesn't matter. Oh my God…your hand is so cold." Flaky said. "I'll get you some warm soup."

"Thank you…Mrs. Bears." The bluenette cooed.

As everyone settled down in their seat, the family began their meal. Fondling the fork in trance, Splendia kept her eyes focused on the bowl and the untouched contents. The shiny little metal reflected her very own tattered face.

"So…Splendia, does your dad know that you're here with us tonight?" Flaky asked.

The bluenette dropped her cutlery. The earsplitting noise as the metal collided with the floor made everyone freeze in their motion. They all gaped at the girl, examining the drastic changes in her expressions.

"Mom…she's had a fight with her dad. That's why she isn't going home tonight." Frankie explained glumly.

"Girl, you can't run away from home." The war veteran frowned. "No matter how serious your argument with your dad is, he must be worrying sick if he knows you're nowhere to be found. At least, make a call to him."

"No." Splendid rejected instantly, surprising everyone with her sudden imprudent attitude. "Mr. and Mrs. Bears, forgive me for being rude here but I have a question to ask. Since you're close friends with Dad, I've been thinking if you ever know this."

"Um…what's it?" Flaky stammered queasily, having a haunch that something catastrophic must have occurred. Flippy, too, seemed to predict what ensued next. After all, the couple was well aware of the hero's secret right from the start.

"Do you both know that Lifty isn't my uncle?" Splendia asked bluntly, almost in an interrogative, demanding tone. "Do you all know that I don't have a mother and my parents are homosexual?"

Her questions probably came out as a huge shock to the couple. Flippy and Flaky exchanged a swift glance, simply tongue-tied. In no way had they expected to be plunged into such an awkward situation. Sure enough, they realized the truth but they were asked not to meddle in the odious business, for the sake of this little young lady. Her fathers had specifically reminded them not to reveal the truth to anyone, not even Frankie or Fannie. And the couple would never want to poke their nose in their friends' relationships either, believing that since they are both adults, they ought to know what to do with their own family. But now, all of a sudden, Splendia appeared and catechized the innocent couple as if they, too, were guilty of hiding the fact from her. When the girl glared at Flippy and Flaky, the repentant couple could only sigh at the misfortune, wondering why they had to be pulled into someone else's complicated family issues.

"Well…that answers it." Splendia chuckled, awe-striking everyone as she was both laughing and crying at the same time. "That means everyone knows it except me…Even so, Mr. and Mrs. Bears, you helped them keep the secret from me…I thought you would be more honest with me…I really like and respect you two but I guess…you're both **_their_** allies."

"Splendia! We never wanted to lie to...you!" Flaky piped up, feeling unhinged all at once. "I'm sorry you've learned the truth but p-please, don't be mad at your **_dads_**. They didn't mean to deceive you either. They just wanted to offer you an ordinary life. They didn't want you to feel any different than the other children because-"

"Because I don't have a mom and I'm not just a human clone." Splendia chipped in with an ironic grin. "It's okay, Mrs. Bears. I'm just…overwhelmed. I don't blame you. I'm just angry at myself. In all my life, I've never pictured myself as a stupid clown who keeps believing that one day I can meet my mother when in fact, I've barely come from a womb."

"Splendia, we don't mean to hurt you." Flippy reasoned critically. "They had their own reasons for not telling you the truth…"

"I know." Splendia smirked and stood up solemnly as to show her lack of tendency to continue the horrible, mind-blowing discussion. "I…can't go back right now. I don't wanna see them at the moment."

"Is it alright if we phone them just to let them know you're safe here with us?" Flippy asked.

"That would be nice, Mr. Bears." The bluenette smiled gratefully. "Thank you."

"Splendia!" Fannie hissed, dragging the downcast girl to her side. "I…I really don't know what to say but…please don't cry. Come to my room! You can sleep with me tonight."

"That's very sweet of you, Fannie." The bluenette mumbled, faking a vague smile.

"Splendia! Pull yourself together! You're one of the bravest girls I've ever met." Fannie said, wrapping her arms around her dear friend. "What happened when you blew up ten gangsters in one go? You've got to be strong. At least, we're all here for you."

"And we don't lie to you." Frankie declared. "We're not like the adults, always so pretentious."

"Exactly!" Fannie gave her brother a thumb-up. Each taking a side of Splendia's arms, the twins proceeded to lead her upstairs.

"You had better check out my room. I've got all these fabulous outfits in my wardrobe! Mom bought them yesterday!" Fannie flaunted ardently. She had no idea how much the bluenette wished something similar could have happened to her. Splendia would be beyond gratified if she could go shopping with a mother once in her lifetime.

"Yuck! Her room is a total mess. If you take my words, don't enter her monstrous cave." Frankie persuaded, hauling the bluenette to his side firmly. "She'll eat you up like the way she did to Snuggles yesterday."

"Wait…you brought Snuggles into your room?" Splendia snickered, stealing a taunting glance at Fannie.

"Ah, won't you be quiet." Fannie snarled, slapping her twin in the arm. "I only showed him my new book collection. Nothing else happened, I swear!"

"Well, who knows?" The redhead shrugged, rubbing his wound in annoyance. "Be warned, Splendia. This sister of mine is a complete vulture. She's aggressive as hell. I only pity Snuggles."

"Urgh, shut up, won't you?" Fannie bellowed, tightening her grip around Splendia's elbow. "She's mine. You buck off and go back to being an aloof game addict in your room. She's staying with me tonight."

"Whatever." The redhead rolled his eyes and released the bluenette, begrudgingly straying away from the girls. "If you need anything, Splendia, especially if you need help evading my crazy sister, call me. I'll be in the next room."

"I'm not crazy!" Fannie stuck out her tongue. Briskly, she pushed Splendia into her room and slammed the door.

"I know it's really ill-mannered of me to say this right now because you're dealing with so many problems. But I've always wanted you to sleep over at our house!" Fannie admitted excitedly, bouncing right onto the shaken girl.

"Why?"

"Because you're always so cool, Splendia." Fannie said, hopping onto her fluffy bed. "I don't know how you get along with my shabby brother. He's totally slovenly and brusque and conceited and I can almost list a hundred more adjectives just to describe how vile he is compared to you. But girl, you're always so sweet and you sparkle!"

"Sparkle?"

"Yes! Don't you know that your skin sometimes glints in the light?" Fannie said, clapping her hands feverishly. "You're so gorgeous. I don't care if you're a clone or a human, you're the most amazing girl I've ever seen. You're just…perfect!"

"I…am not." Splendia whispered. "I don't have a-"

"Forget it!" Fannie laughed, hugging the girl jubilantly. "I'll share my mom with you if you want! Franke will agree to that too! Haha! Plus, aren't we two enough to cheer you up? Don't tell me my effort has gone down the drain! I've tried so hard to bring a smile back to your pretty face! Don't tell me you only smile for Frankie!"

"That's…not true!" The bluenette defended with a blush. There was typically no way she could deny how influential this invincible pair of twins was. And she could never have any immunity to their approaches either, particularly when both of them were on action.

* * *

A sudden clang brought a beam of hope to the two waiting young men. Splendid's heart skipped a beat when he heard the phone ring. Lifty, too, was caught off guards. They both dashed to grab the telephone at the same time, relieved to hear Flaky's voice emanating from the other side of the line.

"S-Splendid, I-I'm...just calling to let you and Lifty know that Splendia is at our place…" Flaky informed. "Frankie brought her home tonight and she'll be staying here for some time if that's okay with you guys. She isn't very happy right now…"

"Can we come over and pick her up?" Splendid asked urgently.

"I don't think that's a good idea." Flippy snatched the phone from his wife and continued. "Dude, I told you to mind what you're doing. She doesn't want to see you two right now."

"F-Flippy! That's too harsh!" Flaky yelped, holding back her outspoken husband. She leaped and tried to steal the phone from him. He shushed her with an index finger and whirled around with his back facing her.

"I'm not trying to be mean but seriously, you hid the truth from your own daughter for sixteen years? Geez, don't you feel somewhat ashamed? And you made us lie to her as well! This young lady here deserves so much better than this crap you're giving her."

"Flippy, we accept your criticisms and we apologize for the trouble we've inadvertently caused you."The hero inhaled deeply and replied in calmness. "We admit that we've mishandled a lot of things. But we just want to see her right now. Or if you please, hand the phone to her."

"Well…it's not like I'm keeping your daughter away from you on purpose but I don't really think she wants to meet or even hear from you both tonight." The soldier proclaimed indifferently. "She's made it clear that we could call you but we couldn't let you come over."

"Flippy! Whatever you say, we're going to fetch her home. NOW." Lifty seized the phone and barked through the speaker.

"If you insist. But she'll definitely hate you more if you come and force her to go back with you." Flippy pinpointed. "And I sure as hell don't want to interfere with your conflicts. I've got enough surprises today, thanks to you two."

"Fine." Splendid snorted, figuring it might be best to call a truce for a while. "We aren't coming around. Take care of her. If anything, I mean, _anything_ happens to her, you're so dead."

"I don't remember looking after your daughter is my onus." The soldier sneered halfheartedly.

"Please, I've never asked you for any favor." The hero sighed, eventually deciding to abandon his pride for once. "We can't afford to lose her."

"Alright." Flippy said. "We'll watch over her. When she is feeling better, we'll give you a call."

"Thanks, Flippy." Splendid buzzed. "Send our regards to Flaky as well."

"Okay."

The hero hung up and ogled his mate.

"Well?" Lifty croaked, gritting his teeth furiously. "Why can't we just barge into their house?"

"Didn't you hear that? She doesn't want to see us right now." Splendid hollered, flying back to his chair. "Do you think I really want to sit around and do nothing but wait like a jerk? I want to talk to her…if only she would listen. Damn…we're so messed up."

"Yup, you're right." Lifty quipped, flumping down on the crouch. "We're so fucked up."

"And I thought…she would forgive us after all we've done for her." The hero rasped, staring at his partner with a demented look. "Honestly, we've barely scolded her. And we've bought her everything. We've given her whatever she wants. Toys, books, jewellery, clothes, food, education, entertainment and everything…I thought it would be enough to compensate for what we couldn't offer her…How could she hate us now? We're still…literally her **_fathers_**…right?"

"Splendid…" Lifty sighed and hugged the bluenette from behind. "I thought the same…Actually, I've broken my rule several times. Just because she saw something she really liked and I couldn't afford it, I went to steal it for her behind your back…I let her have her way because I wanted her to be happy. But I guess…we're both wrong. She wants nothing more than a mother and it's something we can never give her. It doesn't matter how many things we've got her, she only wants to seek the truth from us but we've lied to her. It's only reasonable that she's so damn angry at us right now. Anyone in her place would be."

"I just wish she would come back to us…" The hero sobbed, giving his partner's hands a small squeeze. "Even if she hates us to death."

"Yea…" Lifty corroborated his mate and nodded. "Me, too."


	3. Chapter 3

Splendia slipped a folded note cautiously into Fannie's hands. The greenette made a smooth turn and snored in bliss. Splendia giggled and zipped the backpack after stuffing a few clothes she had borrowed from Fannie in it. Silently, she bent over and planted a soft kiss on the sleeping girl's cheek.

"Thank you, Fannie." She whispered with a smile. Warily, she flew out of the room, ensuring that no one could hear her footsteps as she floated in the air. She scurried downstairs. She was about to open the front gate and marched onto the pavement when a mysterious cold hand suddenly fell on her left shoulder, frightening her.

"Gosh!" She hissed. "Please, don't scare me like that. My heart is fragile."

"Where are you going?" Frankie cocked his brows suspiciously. It didn't take him long to notice that Splendia was fully dressed and equipped as though she was ready to go on a trip.

"Geez, you're running away?" The redhead yapped. "Why?"

"Sh…" Splendia clamped her hand over the boy's mouth. "Please, for God's sake, stop yelling. I have to go, Frankie. Sorry."

"Pfft…" Frankie shoved away her hand and gasped. "Where? Why?"

"I…I need to take a break…" The bluenette confessed, fidgeting with her fingers. "Please, Frankie, do me a favor…don't tell anyone about this."

"Woah…are you nuts? I'm not letting you go like this." Frankie retorted, grappling the girl's hand fiendishly. "The next think I know, your **_fathers_** are going to kill me. God, one of them is a hero and the other one is a thief! You can't do this to me, Splendia! Do you really want them to beat the hell out of me for letting you leave without a word?"

"You can just pretend you haven't seen me!" Splendia argued in panic, trying to wiggle her wrist out of the boy's fastened grip. There was no way she would yield to the redhead in spite of how much she fancied him. "I sneak away at night, okay? Goodbye, Frankie. See you later."

"Hey! You!" The boy snarled and yanked the bluenettle's ponytail, plucking her from the road promptly.

"Ouch!" The girl moaned, flailing her arms in defense. "Stop it!"

"Urgh, you're one troublesome chick." The redhead howled in a hoarse voice, his eyes flickering in intimidating yellow. Immediately, the girl's heart pounded with a thud.

"F-Frank?!" Tumbling backwards, the bluenette blinked fretfully at the fierce male, whose sanity had apparently snapped under his dissociative identity disorder. His golden orbs were shimmering dauntingly under the moonlight, giving hints that the girl should probably hush and stop waging another war with him. To distinguish between his dual personalities, Splendia usually addresses his devilish alter-ego as Frank only.

"I'm leaving the town with you, doll." The boy smirked, gesturing her to stay still. "Wait here. I'll just have to pack a few things. If you disappear, you're so going to pay for it."

The bluenette pursed her lips hesitantly and remained on the spot, bracing herself for the impending adversity. A couple of minutes later, Frank emerged at the door again. This time, he had a scarlet bag slung onto his shoulder. "There we go. Off to our trip, doll."

As they sauntered down the road, Splendia kept glimpsing the boy next to her. She was beginning to suspect if it was ever a brilliant idea to leave the town, considering her partner at the moment was a deranged boy who could possibly charge at her anytime. Even if she could protect herself very well, applying her superpowers on him was the last thing she wanted on earth.

"Do you know that if we cross the border, we'll die permanently when we get killed?" Frank asked. There was more playfulness than seriousness in his tone. Sensing her stare, he winked at her deceitfully, further alarming the girl.

The street was vacant except for the two of them. The place was so dark that even with her night vision, she couldn't suppress the fear within her. Her perseverance though was unaffected, despite the redhead's baleful existence.

"I do." The unwavering girl replied, not wishing to expose her anxiety in front of him. From her experience of interacting with him, this boy is basically none other than a treacherous, pesky punk who enjoys exploiting someone else's weakness. Unlike his psychotic father though, he has his own wicked tactic of tormenting his victim, usually through a series of twisted mind games. Something indicated to the bluenette long ago that despite being his companion, he wouldn't show her any mercy whatsoever.

"Ah, awesome, isn't it?" Frank chortled, his laughter completely disrupting the tranquility of the night. "Finally, we'll live some normal life. Sounds thrilling, right?"

"Um…" Splendia frowned. When Frank turned to goggle at her, she turned away in trepidation. His powerful glare always ruptured her bravery as if he was smiting all her nerves one by one. She felt as though her whole life had been whomped by his pure essence.

"What? Cat caught your tongue, doll?"

"Why are you calling me 'doll'?" The bluenette asked, eventually gathering her galls to meet his insensitive, deadpan eyes.

"You really want to know?" The boy smiled enticingly, though his eyes were ironically colder than ice.

"Not really." Splendia said. She was, in fact, not a single bit agog to find out why he was calling her a 'doll'. She knew the answer wouldn't appeal to her anyway, as usual.

"You're no fun to tease at all, are you?" The redhead pouted. "Because you look like one."

"Do I?"

"Fannie used to have this blue-haired Barbie when she was small." Frank said. "You look just like that doll. So delicate and soft. So feeble and breakable."

The bluenette twitched at the last two words. As a free-willed being with so much ego, being regarded as a toy was simply debasing.

"I…am not feeble." The girl ranted, seething in rage. "You can't break me."

And yet, her attempts against him were always futile as he would usually dismiss her claims in no time.

"Ay, why would I want to break you?" The redhead laughed, circling one hand around the bluenette's throat as if he was about to strangle her. The girl flinched successfully, though her resistance became another basis for his repulsive joke. "I thought you could manage better than that. I still remember how you screwed up all my weapons thinking I was playing a game with you."

"I…really did think it was a game. I'm sorry." Splendia said. This time, the boy's speech evoked an unpleasant remnant of memories that had been stored in her head for quite some time. She could never forget how they first got acquainted with each other, the way she foolishly stalked him like a persistent vermin. Just because he was as extraordinary as her, she had naively believed that he wanted to befriend her. Never had she realized that her effort in blandishing him would backfire and evolve into an everlasting loop of love and hatred between them.

"Um…maybe it was a game. Life is a game after all. You bet with it, you win and you lose." The redhead shrugged, recalling how he had once attempted to slaughter her with a rifle. "So, you're now afraid of me?"

"I'm not afraid of you." The bluenette said. She couldn't possibly be terrified by him even though he did exert considerable influences over her faltered heart. "I just don't feel comfortable with you."

"Being honest now, aren't you?" Frank simpered, clinging closer to the unfazed girl. "Should I call you an interesting doll?"

"Don't bother with it!" The girl bawled, thrusting aside the intended insult. "When are you going to let Frankie take over again?"

There are times she involuntarily compares Frankie to Frank. It is always a myth how the two bipolar personalities manage to subsist in one single entity. While the bluenette's friend is simply a happy-go-lucky redhead completely detached from people outside his mental zone, this boy called Frank, conversely, is a mere tyrant with such an incorrigible habit of toying with the ones he likes, just because he thinks it's fun.

"What? You don't like me here?" The redhead interrogated. "If you want to see Frankie so much, you'll have to bring him out again. But mind you, I'm the one leaving the town with you. He would be the one who tells on you."

"He won't."

"He will."

"He said he won't betray me."

"Think twice, doll." Frank taunted. "Boys lie. Men all lie. Think about your **_parents_**. Haha."

"Shut up. It's none of your business."

"I'm just curious. What do they call you?" The boy chuckled, tracing his hand across the girl's back.

"Stop it." The bluenette smacked his hand and quickened her pace. To her dismay, the redhead caught up with her pretty soon. It bugged her to know that he wasn't letting her go.

"They call me 'precious' and 'cupcake'." She replied.

"See? 'Doll' isn't that bad compared to these two, right? Those who call you Splendia directly have no sense of humor at all."

"Why?"

"Because you look so carried away when people call you names." Frank laughed, relishing every bit of their entertaining skirmish. "And tell you what, just because you're their precious cupcake doesn't mean they can't hurt you. Boys like calling girls beautiful names to flatter them. You're just tamed and fooled."

"You're…wrong!" Splendia snapped, still unwilling to submit to his taunting games. It would be way too humiliating.

"Am I?"

"Yes…they…they…" The girl sobbed. "They said they didn't intend to hurt me!"

"But they did hurt you." The redhead pointed out harshly. "Who's the one making you cry now? Oh,_ precious cupcake_, haha."

"S-Stop it…" Splendia whined as more tears welled up in her eyes. "Please…"

"You'll just have to get used to that, doll." The redhead said plainly. "Believe me, life is an endless ordeal. Oh, and you know what? Most boys actually enjoy seeing girls cry. It just makes them realize how much stronger they feel and how vulnerable their ladies are. So tamable and crumbly. And the most fascinating part is to know you'll still forgive your **_dads_** and go back home one day."

"I'm not going back to them! I won't!" Splendia asserted firmly. "I'm leaving this town. I won't come back."

"Really? Is that what you want?" Frank grinned, his trick working so effectively that the girl felt as though every little thought of hers was being unfolded and laid naked before him. So much she wanted to end the despicable squabble with him but she didn't know how. His words were so prevailing that every letter punctured her heart with indescribable force.

"Why do you keep challenging me? You're so annoying!" The girl cried, exhausted from his games. "I hate you!"

"No, you don't."

"Yes, I do."

"You know, 98% of studies revealed that girls lie as much as boys do." Frank joked. "It's just a matter of difference in topics."

"Urgh, shut up!" Splendia shook her head and growled in fury. "I'm not listening to your bullshit anymore! Shoot! Go away."

"I don't like leaving my doll alone. That's totally unwise. Someone might break her when I'm not around." The boy continued to mock. "Oh, and may I tell you, boys are generally jealous beasts. They hate their possessions being touched by someone else, hehee."

"I'm not your doll!"

"Then, you're a daddy's little girl!"

"Quit it! Why are you-"

"Admit it, your life is full of guys which is pretty funny. You can never escape lies. You can't possibly live on your own." The redhead teased. "And this is something absolutely unique and attractive about you."

"You're making me sick!" The bluenette roared and stomped into the forest, wishing for nothing but an escape from the hysterical boy.

"Should I carry you on my back?" Frank sniggered, looming towards the rattled girl.

"No!" The girl shouted back indignantly. "I don't want you to touch me, blockhead!"

"So, doll is throwing a tantrum now. How problematic." The boy cackled. "Do your parents ever teach you manners? Ah, I suppose not. They're both gay, haha."

"I'm going to kill you with my laser beams!" Splendia threatened. "You're ripping me apart. My head…ow, I'm getting a real headache right now!"

"Maybe we should get you back home."

"Stop it! Did my **_dads_** ask you to do this to me? Are you an arbitrator?" Splendia halted and turned around, glaring at the nasty male. "I'm not that stupid. This is one of their tricks again, right? They asked you to fetch me home!"

"Um…not me. They asked Frankie." Frank confessed. "See, I told you. He would betray you."

"How do you know?"

"I mentioned to you already. Boys lie." The redhead smiled. "But you aren't honest enough yourself. Are you seriously still angry at your **_dads_**?"

"I am!" The girl affirmed. "I'm getting out of this crappy place right now. You're pissing me off."

"Smile, doll." Frank tittered, following closely behind the bluenette. "Smile. You need some decoration on your morose face."

"Hush!" Splendia yelled, tossing her backpack mercilessly at the boy.

"Ah, someone wants to fight, huh?" Frank caught the bag with no ado, his lips curving into an inscrutable smile. "I don't mind if you want to initiate a duel. But as said, I don't like harming my doll."

"I'll kill you." Splendia warned. "I definitely will!"

"That's my privilege."The redhead said. "To be killed by a moonlight sapphire doll is my greatest honor."

"That is. I'm not talking to you anymore!"

"Why? I thought we're getting to the real romantic part." The boy pressed on, trying to lock hands with his companion. "Have you seen how they kill each other in the movie? _Until death do us part._ Urgh, how cheesy. I hate that line. I don't think there's life after death so we might as well give it a try. We can eradicate each other outside the boundaries. What do you say? Thought it's what you want. You said you wanted to die, didn't you? Just because you have no mother. And there are so many starving children out there crying for food and water. You're asking for death because your parents are homosexual and because you're a breathing clone with superpowers. What a spoiled little doll you are. But I do like pampering my girls. Fannie is a good example. I guess her wimpy boyfriend is the only guy one earth who doesn't even know how to lie. How pathetic, haha. Hey, why aren't you laughing? Don't you find it hilarious too? I find it so."

"AH!"

Seeing no way to control Frank, the bluenette simply squealed in distress and scooted away, venturing deeper into the forbidden woods.

* * *

Fannie was sleeping when she felt something fairly hard and pointy in her palm. She gave it a slight squash and crumpled the paper. She opened her eyes in shock, unfolding the note immediately. It was none other than a short message from Splendia, who claimed to have snatched a few garments from her closet to go on a trip.

"What?!" The greenette screeched, her high-pitched voice bombarding every corner of the household. Flippy and Flaky both woke up upon hearing their daughter's scream. They darted into her room in a flash.

"What's it? What's happened? Did you roll out of your bed again? Are you hurt, Fannie?" Flippy asked, wheezing anxiously. The young sergeant was somewhat relieved to see his precious daughter unscathed. She was looking a bit discomposed though.

"Dad! Mom! Splendia's gone!" Fannie shrieked, wielding the appalling note in the air. "She said she won't come back in a while."

"Oh God." Flaky nearly fainted from the astonishing news. Fortunately, her husband caught her from falling just in time. The soldier picked up his wife and rested her on a chair.

"Shit." Flippy cussed. "Splendid is going to kill us." He scrambled back into the hallway and banged on his son's door violently. "Frankie! Wake up! Your little _girlfriend_ has gone out of the town!"

When there was nothing but sheer silence, the war veteran knew what was coming. He busted open the door and as expected, there was no one in bed. Frankie's room was empty and his stuff was gone.

"Great. So they've eloped together?" Fannie muttered, crossing her arms miserably.

"This is…oh Flippy, what're we going to tell Splendid and Lifty?" Flaky said, her voice quavering. "Oh…they entrusted Splendia to us and…and we've let her sneak away…"

"Well, Frankie's sneaked away too." Flippy said. "We'll have to catch them before they cross the boundaries."

The soldier gripped his phone and dialed Splendid's number. The hero showed up in a split second, together with his partner. Both were steamed to find their daughter missing.

"What?" Splendid exclaimed, clenching his fists altogether. "Did you just say she's left the town?"

"Yes, they've gone away without our knowing." Flippy informed.

"Damn it." Lifty looked as though a bomb had hit him. The man couldn't be more exasperated. "Why didn't you stop her?!"

The thief grabbed the soldier's collar and creased it so hard that it ended up wrinkled.

"Stop it, Lifty!" The hero pulled his mate away from the war veteran, seeing there was no point in venting anger on anyone.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Flippy loured at the thief peevishly. "We'll just have to chase after them. That's all!"

"You have no idea what's going on! She's going to die if she steps out of the boundaries!" Lifty cried, kicking the ground in angst.

"What do you mean?" Both Flippy and Flaky gulped.

"We can't explain much here. We need to find her right away." The hero said. With one leap, he flew off into the sky. As for the others, they all hopped into their own cars and sped away.

* * *

"Splendia, wait up!" Frankie's voice reverberated endlessly behind the bluenette. Splendia ceased running at once. Did she just hear him call her 'Splendia' instead of 'doll'?

"Frankie?" Splendia spun around elatedly and hugged her friend. "I'm so glad you're back! Your stupid alter-ego was torturing me!"

"I'm sorry…" The redhead said ruefully. "I'll be…more careful with him next time."

"But still…my **_dads_** called you, didn't they?" Splendia said, staring dourly at the boy. "You agreed to help them!"

"Splendia…I…I didn't mean to betray you. I never thought of doing so." Frankie said. "It's just that they're really worried about you. They love you. They wish you would return home. They said they wouldn't force you to accept anything. You can keep on despising them but you can't snub them. That's the message I got from them."

"I…I don't want to go back." Splendia said and began to wander off. The two left the forest and stepped onto a barren land as rays of sunlight started streaking upwards to embrace the nearing dawn.

"We've crossed the border…" Frankie said, gazing ahead. Never had he seen this part of the world before. For the past sixteen years, he, alongside everyone else, was caged inside the cursed town. Never had he imagined the possibility of life outside Happy Tree Town. He had always heard it was difficult to survive outside because once they lose their life, they stay doomed forever.

"You can go back home if you don't want to tag along with me." The bluenette said, not wanting to drag the boy into unnecessary predicament.

"Why? I'm fine to go anywhere with you." The redhead smiled optimistically and clasped her hand. "So, where do you want to go?"

"Are you sure you're coming with me?"

"Yes."

"I don't know…I want to go somewhere else…Somewhere nice and peaceful." Splendia chortled dreamily. "Somewhere I can be more normal and happy before I decide to come back or maybe not."

"Sure." Frankie nodded. "Then, our destination is somewhere close to a paradise, right?"

"You can say that." The girl laughed. Hand in hand, the two youngsters hurried towards the rimless horizon.

Everything was going seemly well until the bluenette suddenly yapped in agony. They were close to catching a train to the next town when Splendia collapsed to the ground. Frankie stared in horror as his friend coughed and squirmed in anguish. The blazing sun shone over them and it struck the boy so horrendously when he discovered something was severely wrong with his partner. She was puffing heavily, desperately craving for air as though she was lacking oxygen.

"S-Splendia?" Frankie squatted down and hugged her tightly. "Splendia? Are you alright?"

The girl kept trembling and hyperventilating in his grip. What startled him the most though was her skin…It sparkled….It glimmered under the blinding sunlight. And it didn't just gleam so strikingly. It was becoming translucent.

Something was wrong.

Terribly wrong.

"I…I can't breathe…" The bluenette choked, gripping the boy's shirt in spasm. Her eyes were swollen with tears and her cheeks were burning with flame.

"Just a moment." Hoisting the girl in his arms, the boy stood up abruptly and whirled around. "I'll take you back into the town and ask for help!"

The intelligent boy hoped his assumption was right. There had to be some problem with her capability to adapt to the new environment. If he could bring her back into the forest, perhaps she would be alright. His theory came more as self-comfort though. And if he had foreseen such unexpected jeopardy, he wouldn't have agreed to cross the border with her.

"No…I…" Splendia coughed. This time, what oozed out through her teeth was blood. The pure sight of the crimson liquid was sufficient to make the boy freak out. He started running fast, his heart thumping at a manic speed. He knew there was no time to spare when the bluenette's head swung weakly against his chest. He chucked away their bags and held her closer to him. He wished he had practiced jogging more frequently so that he could exceed his current speed. He began to fall to pieces as the girl convulsed and bled nonstop. Her body was getting lighter as though it was turning into ashes. Only then did the redhead realize what exactly was happening…

The bluenette was vanishing.

_Bit by bit._

"Hang in there, please." Frankie wept. A few more steps would soon guide them back into the woods. He would never forgive himself if he let her perish. "Hold on…please!"

Splendia coughed again, splashing the blood all over the boy's shirt. He began to feel numb due to intense fear but he forced himself to advance. He had to save her. He had to.

"Splendia!" Frankie cried, his tears pelting down onto her colourless face. He laid her on the ground. He had made it back inside the boundaries but her eyes were shut tightly.

"Splendia…wake up…" He shook her shoulders wretchedly in hopes that she would respond. He had never in his life felt so terrorized before. She was the first person he had ever regarded as a true friend and he most definitely could not lose her. If he did, it would be his fault. Who on earth would have agreed to abscond with her when he ought to bring her back to her parents? He was to blame.

"Please…don't die." The redhead whimpered. He knew his prayer was heeded when her transparent skin gradually faded and retrieved its usual pasty form. Slowly and idly, the girl opened her lids and smiled at him. "I…I can breathe now…Frankie…"

"Thank goodness…" The boy lamented, giving the girl's body a squeeze to convince himself that her existence was as concrete as his. "I thought…I was going to lose you!"

"You weren't." The bluenette purred and closed her eyes again. This time, she dozed off in his embrace.

* * *

**A/N:** I just think maybe I should make things clearer about the characters. If you read _**Fire and Ice**_, you will probably learn that Frankie has dissociative identity disorder, split personality in short. Well, his condition is definitely different from Flippy's and it has nothing to do with PTSD either. He's just a twisted boy. His sanity was somehow ripped due to an unwanted event in the past. He has two personalities in total (yea, lucky that it's only two, no more). His dominant personality is Frankie, as you can see. The more passive one is Frank. This guy doesn't go on random rampages. He doesn't kill for pleasure (not like his father lol). He is only violent when someone is extremely foul towards him. In short, he's just a pathetic, sickening dude who likes teasing and mistreating people to get his own attention. Before he met Splendia, Frank was actually developed out of possessiveness and jealousy. This boy used to have a sister complex, so he got pissed off when he saw some thug dating his sister in middle school. But since Fannie met Snuggles, this guy seems to have gotten a whole lot more control. His current self has a strong crush on Splendia. The girl is simply oblivious. And you can tell the odd dynamics between them in the conversation. But no, the bluenette doesn't like Frank. She likes Frankie. So, it's an one-sided affection from Frank.

Another thing you might have noticed is that I've specifically created multiple names for Splendia in this story because I want to emphasize the way boys in her life address her. It's pretty funny actually. Everyone has their reason for calling her a particular name. Lifty calls her 'precious' because...well, she's like a precious loot, haha. Splendid calls her 'cupcake' because...hey, this guy likes cooking, right? LOL. And Frank calls her 'doll' because of a past memory where he remembers her as Fannie's Barbie doll. It's also his way of showing his affection (though Splendia doesn't seem to appreciate it because she only has Frankie in mind. Poor dude). 'Splendia' isn't this girl's real name. Her real name will be revealed in the later chapters. Both Splendid and Lifty were the ones who decided her real and nicknames. Very devoted dads lol xD


	4. Chapter 4

They found them in the forest.

The boy was crying with remorse. He floundered towards the town with her in his arms. Both of them were stained with blood. Her blood.

The hero scowled painfully as he spotted his unconscious child. He took her from Frankie. The boy was lost in words. He could only fumble and apologize, over and over again. His parents arrived soon afterwards, both stupefied by the scene.

"I…I'm sorry…I didn't know she would…" Frankie rambled, slurring so much in his speech that Flaky had to calm him.

"It's okay." Splendid assured, peeping at his daughter. "I think she'll be alright."

They sent her back to where she came from. The scientist, or more precisely, her creator, laid Splendia on a surgical bed. He adjusted his glasses and frowned at the girl's parents.

"What…happened to her?" Sniffles asked, glaring at Splendid and Lifty.

"She's left the town." Splendid said. "Please, you've got to save her."

"I thought I made it clear that you aren't supposed to let her out of this town." Sniffles ranted. "She's a clone. She can't possibly adapt to the environment outside this town. Something created inside this cursed place will turn into ashes once it's brought outside!"

"We know that." Lifty said. "She's learned the truth. She ran away from us. Just, would you please hurry up and treat her? She's still breathing, right? She'll be okay, won't she?"

"How long has she been outside the boundaries?" Sniffles asked, averting his gaze towards the young redhead.

"Er…" Frankie stuttered, looking repentant all at once. "A couple of minutes…We were close to catching a train and then...her skin suddenly started sparkling."

"Ah…that couple of minutes must be the most excruciating experience for her." Sniffles gasped, shaking his head in woe. "I'm surprised she's survived. Lucky you've brought her back into the forest just in time. Otherwise, she would definitely burn into ashes."

"I'm sorry." Frankie mumbled. "I'm so sorry…"

"Don't be." Splendid smiled, patting the boy's shoulder. "So, Sniffles, I'll leave her to you. Should we wait outside? How long will it take?"

"She's basically fine but she's passed out. I'll need to fix something though." Sniffles said plainly. "And yes, please wait outside. I'll just have to make sure her organs are still functioning well."

"Okay, thanks." The hero nodded, leaving the room with the other two boys.

* * *

Splendia opened her eyes, embraced by haze and blinded by light. The dust sprinkled down like tiny snowflakes. She scrunched her nose and sneezed. A smile was plastered on her face when she saw the redhead beside her. His orbs were filled with so many sentiments. She could almost hear him scream in the silence.

"Frankie?"

"Are you feeling better?" The boy asked, his mind constantly drifting off to self-accusation.

"Yea." Splendia giggled and sat up. "I heard your voice in my sleep."

"You should have heard more than one voice." Frankie grinned.

"What do you mean?"

"Mr. Squirrels and Mr. Raccoons have been here with you for the past few days." The boy said. "You have no idea how long you've slept. You really don't feel like waking up, do you? Such a lazy pig."

"Frankie!" The bluenette pouted. "Did you say my dads came here?"

"They did." Frankie nodded. "But they didn't dare wake you. They thought you would be mentally scarred if you saw them, haha."

Splendia looked away calmly. For some reason, the redhead's words lingered in her head. She seemed to grasp more sense of them than before. They weren't jokes at all.

_You said you wanted to die, didn't you? Just because you have no mother. And there are so many starving children out there crying for food and water. You're asking for death because your parents are gay and because you're a breathing clone with superpowers. What a spoiled little doll you are._

Perhaps the pain had wiped away her wrath. Her heart still ached but her rage had faded. She had been on the brink of death. She had heard a few voices, all urging her to hold on. She had felt Frankie's embrace. She had heard her parents' cries. She had thought death would be a remedy. In reality though, it was actually much more horrifying than she had first envisioned it. She didn't want to die. She never did. She was just throwing a tantrum. She is, as Frank had said, simply spoiled.

She didn't want to see them but she missed them. She missed her dads.

Why and how? She had no clue.

"So, I see you're awake now, young lady." A coarse voice said. Slouching against the door, Sniffles stood cross-armed.

"You're…"

"Don't you recognize me? I'm your doctor." Sniffles laughed.

"I know." Splendia said. "I haven't seen you in a while, Dr. Sniffles."

"Oh, you shouldn't want to see me." Sniffles smirked, shuffling closer to the bed. "That would mean you're ill."

"Did you…really make me out of their genes?" Splendia asked.

"Why, it's so obvious that you've got Splendid's hair and Lifty's eyes. Aren't you confident with your identity?" Sniffles chuckled.

"No."

"Alright, girl, let me show you something." Sniffles sighed. "I figured that I'm responsible for your problem too. Your fathers have agreed to let me show you the entire story. You want to know the truth, right? Here we go."

The two youngsters exchanged a curious look. They watched the scientist leave the room and return with a monitor similar to a television screen. He placed the machine on a table in front of the bluenette, gesturing her to stay in bed.

"It's okay. You don't have to get off." Sniffles said, pulling out a remote control from his pocket. "Let me introduce this thing to you first. This is my baby, one of my favourite inventions. It's called memory tracker. I've got the information from your fathers' brain imaging. They've agreed to show you what happened in the past. You're going to see how you were created and why they did what they did. Before that, you shouldn't judge your parents and be mad at them because they aren't at fault. You should cast the blame on me."

Sniffles clicked a button and the screen flashed with a beep.

"Oh and, this machine works like a tape recorder. You can see the time of event on the right hand corner. See?" The scientist pointed to the date and year on the screen. "It starts from…let me see…ah, 17 years ago."

Sniffles stood side and let the tape load. The two teens widened their eyes as they stared blankly at the screen.

**_6_****_th_****_ September, 2X01_**

_"__Ah, what a beautiful day." The bluenette commented, perking up at the cloudless sky. Rays of blazing sunlight hovered above him, making his creamy skin glisten in a beguiling way. Resting on his lap was a boy in late-teens, with tangled lime green hair and a pair of twinkling turquoise eyes hidden underneath his shades._

_"__Huh?" Lifty purred and idly looked up face his mate. _

_"I'm saying, the weather is so perfect." Splendid smiled, stroking the other boy's hair merrily._

_"__You say that almost every day." The greenette taunted, poking his lover's cheek playfully._

_"__As long as it doesn't rain, that is." The hero shrugged._

_As the two spent their relaxing afternoon basking in the spectacular scenery of the park, th__e peaceful serenity was suddenly interrupted by a boisterous whining noise. The two young boys turned towards a couple who was pushing a stroller along the pavement. The sight seemed to remind them of something._

_"__By the way, Flaky's pregnant." The greenette piped up. "I heard it from Flippy last week. That guy is so fucking happy."_

_"__Should've known." Splendid cackled. "Oh, and do you know Giggles is expecting a child too?"_

_"__Really?" _

_"__And Petunia as well."_

_"__What the hell? Why's every girl pregnant at the same time? Is this some lame joke?"_

_"__How am I supposed to know?" The bluenette laughed. "They just happen to hit it off in the same year, I guess. Haha."_

_There was a long pause between the couple. The squalling noise kept echoing in their ears. Suddenly, Lifty spun up and barked. "Damn it, I can't sleep with that child mewling!"_

_"__It's truthfully annoying." The hero grumbled, looking at the infant scornfully._

_"__Splendid?" The greenette ogled his mate solemnly. "Can I ask you a question?"_

_"__Yea?"_

_"__Do you like kids?"_

_Bewildered by the peculiar question, the bluenette gawked at his partner with his mouth wide open._

_"__Now, why are you asking…"_

_"__I'm just wondering."_

_"__I don't." Splendid said forthrightly. "I hate kids. They cry and give me a headache."_

_"__Exactly! And I don't understand why everyone's so happy because they're going to have a child!" Lifty grunted, making all kinds of disgruntled grimaces as he continued with his outlook. "Isn't it ridiculous? I mean, who wants to be woken up every night to feed some little beasties and to change their diapers?"_

_"__Mothers do." Splendid chortled in amusement._

_"__It's so dumb." _

_"__But I guess…they have their point." The bluenette mused. _

_"__What do you mean?"_

_"__Well, this town is cursed. We practically don't age. Hey, have you ever counted how many years have passed since we stopped growing? I don't think everyone wants to stay a 18-year-old forever. At least, starting a family does make a change."_

_"__Maybe you're right." The greenette had to nod in partial agreement. "People do feel older when they have kids to look after. Probably…"_

_"__But I don't like children. Plus, we can never have one!" Splendid laughed._

_"__We can adopt one but again, I agree with you, they're a pain in the neck. They snatch away your freedom. And it's totally uneconomical." The greenette pinpointed. "I've worked this out with Shifty. It basically costs you five millions dollars to raise a child nowadays. I'm so not going to waste my gold on some stupid, unpromising kids. Who knows they're going to turn their back against you one day and leave? Hehee."_

_"__Yea, nothing is as promising as your own lover." The hero cooed flirtatiously, bending over to kiss his mate._

**_14_****_th_****_ November, 2X01_**

_Splendid yawned and growled in annoyance. Some fool was banging on the door early in the morning. Clearly, the hero was miffed because he was still sleeping when his dreams got disrupted. To make things worse, it was weekend and he had had a session with his lover the previous night._

_"__Go open the door, Splendid…" The greenette mumbled in his sleep, beckoning to his husband sluggishly. Snuggling up in the duvet, Lifty refused to get out of bed._

_"__Ugh! I feel like killing someone!" Splendid snarled and flew downstairs. As he opened the door, he was welcomed by the most unexpected guest._

_"__What're you doing here, Sniffles?" The hero interrogated, looking daggers at the agog scientist. "I'm not in any mood for your crazy experiment right now. Lify and I are fucking exhausted today. Go away."_

_"__Wait." Sniffles booted open the door with a huge smile. "This project is a special one. It's going to change your life forever!"_

_"__I don't need any changes in my life." Splendid said boldly. "My life is good enough."_

_"__No!" The persistent scientist declined sharply with a deceitful grin. "I see you and Lifty have got married. Are you two expecting a child?"_

_"__What the fuck are you talking about? Are you out of your mind or something?" Splendid howled and strode back upstairs. "Lifty! Come down at once! Sniffles is on loose again!"_

_"__Oh crap, won't you shut the fuck up?" Lifty stormed out of his room and lunged at Sniffles. "YOU ARE GOING TO PAY FOR IT, FRANKENSTEIN!"_

_"__Wait, guys, I'm serious." The bespectacled boy held up his hands in defense. "I don't need you to do much. I only need some of your hair, skin and nails. Then, it should be fine."_

_"__Get lost! You're making me sick." Lifty rolled his eyes and lolled down on the couch._

_"__What exactly are you trying to do?" Splendid asked._

_"__Actually, I'm working on this project that helps homosexuals form a family. Since two guys can't possibly-"_

_"Oi__, go away. We aren't interested." Lifty lashed out directly._

_"__It won't take you more than ten minutes. I only need your genes."_

_"__I told you we don't want to participate in your fatuous project!" Splendid bawled, irked. "We don't like children anyway!"_

_"__Okay, but can I take a sample of your hair and-"_

_"__Urgh, you're so relentless!" Lifty shrieked, plucking a strand of hair out of his head and shoving it to the mad scientist. "Fine! You're leaving after this, right? Here you go, my hair!"_

_"Thank you."_

_The two boys allowed Sniffles to gather their samples. After ten minutes, they tossed the scientist out of their household._

_"__That is. I'm going to latch the door." The bluenette said, installing several locks on their front door intently. "He's fucking retarded and insane. I can't believe it. How can two guys actually have a child? It's disgusting as hell."_

_"__I don't care." Lifty said, trudging back upstairs. "I'm going back to sleep."_

_"__Wait up." The hero smirked, wrapping his arms around his mate's waist. "I'm joining you."_

**_30_****_th_****_ October, 2X02_**

_A sudden knock on the door cut off Splendid's speech. He was chattering with Lifty in their dinner when the doorbell rang. Reluctantly, the hero slipped out of his chair and proceeded to open the door._

_"__Who on earth is that?" Lifty asked._

_"__I don't remember inviting anyone for dinner." Splendid said. To his astonishment, Sniffles was standing on their porch with a crooked smile. But the scariest part had yet to come. The scientist was holding something in his hands. It didn't take Splendid long to realize it was an infant._

_"__What the…" Splendid gulped and staggered backwards. Lifty, hearing a newborn's cry, rushed to the door to inquire the episode._

_"__Here you go! Congratulations, Spencer Squirrels and Lester Raccoons!" Sniffles chuckled mirthfully, handing the wrapped baby girl to the boys. "This is your child! It's a girl!"_

_The two boys dropped their jaws and gaped at the scientist in more terror than they could have ever imagined in their whole life. It was like one of those horror movies where some monsters showed up at one's doorway in the middle of the night._

_"__You see, I've combined your genes together to make a clone!" Sniffles bragged proudly. "And it works! Oh gosh, it really works! This is literally your baby! She's just like a human except for some differences. Oh and, since she's a clone, she can't breathe in the air outside this town. There is a curse that whatever created here can only exist here. By the way, good luck to you both! And must I say, she's really adorable! See you later. Bye bye!"_

_The traumatized couple watched Sniffles disappear as quickly as he had come. A crack of soft laughter escaped the little thing in the hero's arms. Still utterly petrified, the two boys could swear they had just seen a ghost._

_"__This…isn't happening, right?" Lifty stammered, shivering in fright. "Splendid, tell me this is a nightmare. Geez, why're you still holding that thing? Put it away! It's going to eat you! Ah! Frankenstein has created a monster and it's a baby! He's left a beast in our house! Oh no! Help! Help!"_

_"__Lifty! Calm down!" Splendid yelled. The commotion apparently startled the child. The baby began to cry, filling the boys with even more shock._

_"__Ah! It's going to eat us now, isn't it?" Lifty wailed, hiding behind Splendid fearfully. "Splendid! Kill it! Shoot it with you laser eyes! Do something to save us!"_

_"__Wait." Splendid hushed his mate and scrutinized the object in his embrace. It looked ordinary enough. It was nothing more than a harmless, delicate infant. "I think it's not a monster…It's really a child."_

_"__Oh dear, dear." Lifty fell on his knees, shaking his head incredulously. "This has got to be the biggest prank ever. Oh God, what have we done to deserve this? Splendid…you mean it's really our baby? Seriously?"_

_"__I don't know!" Splendid frowned. "Maybe Sniffles has found this baby on the street and lied to us! I won't believe it's our…"_

_The hero trailed off, causing the greenette to look up anxiously at his partner and wonder what could have made him stop talking. Splendid was gazing at the child in confusion._

_"__What? What's wrong?" Lifty stood up from the floor and hobbled towards Splendid. The two both froze at the whimpering newborn. There was no denying that it did look a great deal like them. Its hair was as cerulean as the hero's and its eyes were the very same emerald as the thief's._

_"__This…is a joke…right?" Lifty jabbered, tugging Splendid's sleeves. "Sniffles must be getting his fucking revenge on us because we refused to give him our genes last time."_

_"__Yea…we should…probably get rid of this thing." Splendid prattled, marching towards the door._

_And then…_

_The child blurted out a deafening cry. A cry that snapped both males. A cry that ultimately imploded their plan. A cry that completely chilled their blood…_

_"__Wait!" Lifty bellowed, a sudden stream of conscience washing over him as he clutched Splendid's arm somberly. The hero halted, carrying the very same devastated expression._

_"__We can't…dump her like this…" Lifty lamented. The pain of being abandoned was something the boy could never forget. No matter how vulgar and callous he was, he could never bedevil a child, not to mention it was a clone of him and Splendid._

_"__Okay." The hero's thoughts seemed to resonate with his lover's. He laid the child carefully on the table and sighed. "So, what're we going to do with it now?"_

**_12_****_th_****_ December, 2X02 (Splendia: 2 months)_**

_"__Damn, why's she still crying?" The bluenette croaked, cradling the child tenderly. "I've already fed her!"_

_"__Wait, let me check." Lifty scrambled across the disarrayed room, finally digging out a book from a pile of trash. "It says here you have to burp the baby after feeding her! You'll have to pat her back!"_

_"__I did that a minute ago!"_

_"__Ah…" Lifty flipped through the handbook nervously and continued searching for useful sources. "Are you sure she's warm enough?"_

_Splendid looked down at the child. Only then did he realize she was crudely dressed in a thin layer of cloth._

_"__Gosh, it's December and you've only dressed her with a…a piece of cloth?" Lifty snarled, smacking his love upside the head. "You're so hopeless!"_

_"__You know what? This is your child, too. Maybe you should start taking care of her more often." The bluenette sulked and handed the fragile being to his partner. "I'm always the one doing everything!"_

_"__Shut up. All she needs is a mother! We should hire a nanny!" Lifty contended._

_"__No one wants to look after her because they think she'll kill them!" Splendid rebutted._

_"__That's your fault! She's inherited your superpowers! That's why nobody wants to come near her!"_

_"__Then, why don't we leave her outside the orphanage? If that's what you think!" The bluenette roared._

_The word 'orphanage' automatically hushed the thief. Tears began to sting his eyes as he sagged down quietly on the bed. Flashback of memories haunted him as he recalled having once been an unwanted child himself._

_Finally noticing how brutal and tactless his speech was, the hero sighed regretfully and hugged his mate. "I'm…sorry. I didn't mean to…"_

_"__It's okay. I just feel sad for her." The greenette sniveled. "Shifty and I didn't grow up with a mom but at least we had one. But she…she's just a clone and she's going to bear with it for the rest of her life. Who in the world could create a kid without a mother? That fucking scientist must go to hell!"_

_"__Lifty…" Splendid bit his lips contemplatively. "Do you think we should find her a foster family or something? It's really awkward for us to raise her. People surely think there's something wrong with two guys bringing up a child, not to mention it's a baby girl. They might even think we're a child kidnapper!"_

_Lifty looked at Splendid and then back at the child. He mulled over the hero's words. They seemed to ring a bell in his head._

_"__The point is…she really needs a mother to nurture her." The bluenette countered. "We can't possibly do that. Like you said, a mother is what a child needs most."_

_"__We'll get her one then." Lifty asserted._

_"__Huh?"_

* * *

**A/N:** Part of the inspiration for this tale came from people around me. I know someone who's gay and I know how much they like kids. It surprises me to know some guys can seriously be much much much more considerate and caring than some girls, not to mention more emotional and docile as well. And that makes me wonder, what happens if there is a case where both parents are male? It would be fun and heart-warming to find out, haha. And as you can see, both Splendid and Lifty are involuntary at first. It's all Sniffles' fault! XD Damn scientist lol.


	5. Chapter 5

**_11_****_th_****_ January, 2X03 (Splendia: 3 months)_**

_"__Ta-da!" Lifty tittered as he plodded downstairs and exposed himself in front of his husband._

_Splendid only widened his eyes and goggled at the male as if he was insane, albeit he had to admit for a swift second he was aroused by the plain sight of his cross-dressed lover._

_"__A-Are you…sick, Lifty?" The hero asked and flinched fearfully at the sight. He might as well think it was the worst lark Lifty was playing with him._

_The greenette was standing with a solemn look at the bottom of the stairs. His head was adorned with a wig with long curls. He was wearing a pinstripe vest, a fluffy white blouse and a knee-length skirt. What caught Splendid was probably the fact that he appeared more girlish than any other girls in the town._

_"__And…what's happened to your voice…" Splendid spluttered. "It's so…high-pitched…"_

_"__Really? I drank one of Sniffles' potions. It does make me sound more like a girl, right?"_

_"__Lifty, change back into your old clothes right now. It's not funny!" The bluenette commanded, almost slamming his fist onto the table. For some reason, he actually feared that someone would see Lifty in such state. He certainly didn't wish some random guys to hit on him on the road thinking he was a girl._

_"__What? No, don't you see? This is the __**plan**__." Lifty said, sitting down beside Splendid. "All we need to do is to give her the concept of what a mother is. We can't let her grow up knowing that both of her parents are guys. It's too inappropriate. So, we'll just have to pretend that she does have a mother and at some point, I'll change back into a guy and we'll lie to her that I'm her uncle or something. It's a wonderful idea, isn't it?"_

_"__No." Splendid shook his head disapprovingly. "You don't know what you're talking about. We're sending her to a foster home. Now if you please, change back into your own fucking shirt and pants! You're creeping me out!"_

_"__Splendid!" Lifty hollered. He didn't expect himself to get so agitated but every time Splendid proposed ditching the poor child, he would feel as though his heart was stabbed by a knife. He understood better than anyone else how devastating the feeling of being unwanted and abandoned was. Even though he had declared how much he despised kids, he could never bring himself to commit such a blood-curdling deed. He would never give away his child even if she was just a clone. "If you insist on pushing her into someone else's care, I'm leaving with her."_

_"__What?" The hero stood up, unable to contain himself anymore. Boiling with anger, he grabbed the thief's collar and thrust him against the wall. "Stop this fucking nonsense. I'm not going to say this twice. We're giving her away! Think of it as a charity. We don't need to take care of her if we don't want to! We'll go back to how we used to be. There's no stupid baby crying at night. No fucking retarded scientist asking for our genes. No bullshit about faking a mother for a child. We are just two guys trying to lead a subtle life! We don't need anyone else to interfere with our life at all. Don't you get it, Lifty? We don't need her to fucking ruin everything!"_

_"__S-Stop it…" Lifty blubbered, tears already rolling down his face. He pressed his hands against the other boy's chest and shoved him off. "You don't understand anything…I hate her but I can't stop loving her because she's our child. She has the right to live just as much as everyone else. I won't hand her over to someone else because she's ours! SHE IS OURS…"_

_The thief's emotions broke down at once. He collapsed to the ground crying. Rendered guilty, the hero could only gasp and sob alongside his partner. He couldn't think straight anymore. His head was overflowing with so many thoughts, his heart so much angst. None of them made any sense to him. None of them could reassure both of them._

_"__I…I'm sorry." Splendid sighed. Counteracting all his pessimistic, evil thoughts, he crawled over to the greenette's side and embraced him. "Forget what I've said. I wasn't…in the right mind. I'm kinda worn out these days. Sorry."_

_"__Spencer, we need to help her." Lifty implored. "This poor kid…We can't leave her alone."_

_"__Okay…" Splendid gave up the argument as he saw there was no way he could alter his partner's stance. He, too, reckoned he might as well go along with Lifty's idea. "We'll give her a home. We'll do what we can. And if it still doesn't work…I really don't know what to do, Lifty."_

_"__It will work." Lifty insisted. "We'll just have to try."_

_"__Alright." Splendid smiled. Gently brushing away the greenette's bangs, he planted a soft kiss on his forehead. "As you wish, dear."_

**_15_****_th_****_ April, 2X04 (Splendia: age 1)_**

_"__Hey, Splendy! Long time no see! Woah…you're babysitting?" Flippy exclaimed, looking down at the little girl in a stroller. Flaky, holding two kids in her hands, nearly tripped over a small pebble on the ground._

_"L__ook out, honey, told you to stay on the bench." Flippy said, taking hold of one of his children. "So, what's the big deal here? I know you're a journalist. And I know you're a hero. But I don't know you're a babysitter as well, haha."_

_"__Shut up." Splendid gritted his teeth, trying to ignore his buddy's comment. "Are these your kids?"_

_"__Yes! This one is Frankie." Flippy showed his crimson-haired son to Splendid and smiled. "And Flaky's holding Fannie."_

_"__Fraternal twins, eh?"_

_"__Yup. And Flaky's expecting another one this summer! It's a girl!" Flippy kissed his wife softly on the cheek and chortled._

_"__Hi, Splendid…W-We…er…haven't seen you i-in a while…" Flaky smiled timidly. "S-She's a cute girl. Where did y-you get her from?"_

_"__Wait, hold on a second, who is this?" Flippy interjected, examining the lady standing next to Splendid. He couldn't help but crack up. "Oh hey, is this your new girlfriend? Damn, she's hot."_

_"Flippy!" Flaky snarled, shooting her husband a sullen look. The young sergeant hushed immediately and looked away with a blush._

_"__Fuck you. I'm Lifty." Lifty piped up, cursing at the soldier harshly. The couple's eyes almost bulged when they heard the greenette's voice._

_"__What the hell?" Flippy widened his eyes and recoiled backwards._

_"__R-Really?" Flaky gasped. "What happened...to you? Why're you dressing up like a girl?"_

_"__It's a long story." Splendid sighed. He spent the next half an hour trying to explain what hassle Sniffles had plunged them in. Flippy and Flaky listened in silence, both looking increasingly astounded in response to their friends' incredible experience. They shied away slightly from Splendid and Lifty and scanned them from head to toe._

_"__Er…so, you mean…this is your child?" Flippy pointed at the sapphire-haired girl and raised his brows incredulously._

_"__T-This is…I really don't know what to say…" Flaky giggled. "I n-never thought it's possible for two boys to…well…I guess Sniffles has made an exception! Hehee."_

_"__It's not funny, Flaky." Lifty snorted. _

_"__We've been trying to give her away by all means." Splendid said._

_"__But we couldn't bring ourselves to do it." Lifty confessed._

_"__We tell you the truth because we consider you as our friends. We don't need you to laugh at us."_

_"__Okay. Okay. Sorry, guys, we were just…shocked." Flippy apologized. "But…how are you going to take care of her?"_

_"__We don't know." Splendid replied. "We're still trying our best to handle her."_

_"__But isn't it a bit exaggerating to…er…" Flippy eyed Lifty and scowled. "To dress up as a woman? I really don't know you're into cross-dressing stuff."_

_"__Ugh, shut up! I'm not into this kind of things!" Lifty bawled in defense. "We just think it's a good idea to…you know, pretend to be a normal family. It's harder to explain to her later why her parents are both guys!"_

_"__True, true. And if she still finds out you're a guy afterwards?" Flippy chuckled. "What're you going to do?"_

_"__She isn't going to find out! We won't let that happen." Splendid said._

_"__I hope you know what you're doing." The soldier reminded. "It's not like you can't both take the same role raising her. She can have two fathers at one time."_

_"__This doesn't sound right." Lifty said. "It's wrong."_

_"__Yea. Too wrong." Splendid nodded in agreement._

_"__W-Well…if y-you need any t-tips or anything, you can always give me a c-call." Flaky smiled optimistically. "I c-can help you look a-after her sometimes if you want."_

_"__We'll be fine. Thanks." Splendid grinned and started walking off with his mate. _

_"__And please, keep it a secret for us." Lifty turned back and said. "Don't tell anyone I'm Lifty. Tell them I'm Lifty's sister, Thrifty."_

_"__Sure." Flippy shrugged. "Good luck, buds"_

**_7_****_th_****_ May, 2X04 (Splendia: Age 1)_**

_"__Splendid! Splendid!" Lifty yelled, clapping his hands excitedly. "Come here! Take a look!"_

_"__What?" Splendid popped out from the kitchen and frowned._

_"__She's walking!" The greenette reported, pointing to the girl lumbering on the floor._

_"__Yea, how surprising." Splendid quipped and rolled his eyes. Carefully placing a tray of freshly baked cakes onto the kitchen table, he started sprinkling the toppings on the dessert._

_"__No, I mean it. She learns how to fly before she can walk!" Lifty applauded exultantly. "She's so special! And she just called me 'Mom'!"_

_"__Um…Lifty, I don't think you should be happy about that." The hero laughed. Taking off his apron, he walked back into the living room. "Mom? Hahaha."_

_"__What? She thinks I'm a woman. That's why!" Lifty folded his arms in irritation. "That means our clever plan is working!"_

_"__Yea, so clever. I don't think I can find another person as clever as you on this planet. Satisfied?" Splendid mocked, settling down next to Lifty. _

_"__Quit teasing me!" Lifty yapped. The small child climbed over onto Splendid's lap and chuckled. "D-Daddy!"_

_"__Did you hear that? She just called me-"_

_"__Pfft, I'm not deaf!" Lifty snapped and pinched his mate at once._

_"__Ouch! What's that for?" The bluenette grumbled and cringed at the small attack._

_"__We've got to name her! Oh God, we've actually forgotten to name her!" Lifty growled and gave himself a face-palm. He couldn't believe that they still hadn't come up with a decent name for their daughter._

_"__Ah, can't we just call her 'beastie'? You always call her that." Splendid smirked._

_"__Stop it! I'm not laughing!" Lifty pouted, trying his best to look stern which only earned a couple more taunting laughs from his partner._

_"__Fine. How about this. You name her. I'm fine with just calling her 'cupcake'." Splendid said, slipping the child back onto Lifty's lap. "I'm actually baking some cupcakes right now."_

_"__Splendid! I'm serious! She needs a name and a nickname! We can't just call her cupcake! People are probably going to laugh at her when she enters school!" Lifty reasoned._

_"__Well, I thought you want her to be home-schooled." Splendid shrugged rather indifferently. It's not like he really cared that much about schooling the girl. As long as she wouldn't give them a lot of trouble, he would be fine leaving Lifty with all the important decisions._

_"__Nah…it isn't the norm here." Lifty pointed out. "It's better to send her to a proper school and I've already enrolled her in a prep class! But we need to fill in the application form with her name!"_

_"__Alright. If it starts with the letter 'L', I'll name her Leslie." Splendid said. "That sounds pretty close to your name, actually, LESTER. Haha."_

_"__Can't you think of a better one? It's so random!" Lifty criticized, looking fed up with the other boy's playfulness. "And you're clearly not being serious enough!"_

_"__I am!" Splendid protested. "What about Lorraine? It sounds good."_

_"__Okay, that'll do." _

_"__And you give her the nickname."_

_"__Tell you what, dumbass. I'm going to make it a parody of your name." Lifty snickered. "Splendia! Haha."_

_"__Ugh, and you said I'm not being serious enough." Splendid grunted and crossed his arms._

_"__Lorraine. Splendia. They don't match at all. But who cares?" Lifty said, pushing the girl back into Splendid's grip. "Now if you excuse me, I'm going to eat a meat pie, hehee."_

**_25_****_th_****_ March, 2X05 (Splendia: Age 2)_**

_Lifty busted open the door and tottered towards the couch. He coughed up some blood and knocked down a stool in his way. The furniture toppled over with a thunderous sound, catching the hero's attention. Splendid left the child in his room and darted downstairs, only to find Lifty bleeding and whining in a puddle of blood._

_"__Lifty! W-What's happened?" The bluenette rushed to help his mate up._

_"__N-Nothing…" Lifty prattled, falling limply into the hero's grip. It was then the other male noticed the bruises and the red patches on the other boy's skin. Immediately, Splendid balled his hands into fists and stood up. "Those thugs…did they try to hit on you again?"_

_"__They thought I was a girl…" Lifty said, wiping off a smudge of blood on his lips. "I forgot my gun today. That's why."_

_"__Did they do anything to you? I'm going to kill them!"_

_"__Ha, they sort of freaked out when they knew I was a fellow. I laughed and they beat me up." Lifty forced a smile and rolled on the crouch painfully._

_"__Wait here. I'm going to avenge you." Splendid said and stomped out of the house. The hero returned a few minutes later, his attire completely covered in red stains._

_"__You really shouldn't have done that…" Lifty said. "What a bad parenting model... If Splendia sees you like this…"_

_"__I don't care! I'm not going to just let those bastards get away with it." Splendid snarled, sliding a handgun into his partner's hand. "And please, don't fucking forget your gun next time! I really hate it when those jerks keep hitting on you."_

_"__That means my disguise is working well."_

_"__It's not working well at all!" Splendid cried. "I'd rather prefer you to look like a real man. I don't want any dirty thugs near you! You're mine. You're mine!"_

_"__Yea, I know." Lifty laughed softly, ruffling the bluenette's hair. "I just…need to sleep…for a while. Good night, Spencer."_

_The thief shut his eyes and blacked out._

**_18_****_th December_****_, 2X06 (Splendia: Age 4)_**

_"__Mom!" The girl leaped onto Lifty merrily, holding up a piece of picture. "I drew this in class today!"_

_"__It's…er…very pretty." Lifty raised his brows, flipping the picture upside down with a smile. "Actually…what's it?"_

_"__It's that shiny thing you showed me before!" Splendia laughed. "I d-don't remember what it's called."_

_"__You mean the jewellery." _

_"__Yes!" The girl giggled, clinging to her __**mother **__friskily. "Can I have one of those things that you put on my hair? I saw one I really like today. Can I have it pleeeeaseee?"_

_"__You mean a hairclip."_

_"__YES! Can I? Well, Mommy, can I?" Splendia begged._

_"__Yea, where did you see it?"_

_"__Just round the corner! It's the blue one with a butterfly on it! It's sooooo pretty and shinyyy."_

_"__Okay, precious. You wait here. I'll be right back." Lifty placed the girl on a chair and left the house. He was entering the shop when he realized he had forgotten his wallet. Not bothering to fetch his purse, he simply slipped the hairclip into his pocket and trotted away._

_"__There you go." Lifty stuck the tiny decoration on Splendia's bangs, half-smiling._

_"THRIFTY!" A raspy voice shouted from behind. Splendid kicked open the door and pelted towards his lover. He pulled Lifty to one corner hastily and started lecturing him. "Did you just steal from a boutique around the corner?"_

_"__What? You saw me?" Lifty gulped._

_"__NO! PETUNIA TOLD ME. She's working there!" Splendid said._

_"__I was…I…I forgot to bring my wallet."_

_"__Is this your best excuse?" _

_"__Damn, it's for our beastie, you know. She wants this pretty hairclip so damn much. We can just pay Petunia back, okay?" Lifty said, pushing Splendid away. Obviously, he had no clue why the bluenette was making such a fuss over the issue. "How much is it?"_

_"__Ugh, I paid her back already! She was going to call the cops!"_

_"__Whatever." Lifty shrugged."It's not like I've never been jailed before."_

_"__Thrifty! If you're going to steal again, the least you can do is be more professional! I don't need people bugging and complaining to me, telling me how my __**wife**__ robs and steals and all! And I most definitely don't need to know that you're stealing things behind my back!"_

_"__Okay! Okay! I told you it's for our girl here! Look!" Lifty said, pointing to the bemused child on the stool. Splendia squinted, taking in every single word she heard from her parents, though she couldn't seem to understand anything._

_"__Daddy, what does 'steal' mean?" Splendia asked._

_"__It means you're cute." Splendid answered. "I like that hairclip."_

_Lifty trampled on the hero's foot and shushed him._

_"__Let me tell you, precious." Lifty sniggered and picked up the girl. "'Stealing' is what you do to get something you really, really, really want without paying anything. Sounds cool, right?"_

_"__But isn't it wrong not to pay?"_

_"__Nah…not necessarily wrong if no one finds out." Lifty said._

_"__Don't listen to __**her**__." Splendid said. "Your __**mom**__ is lying."_

_"__But it sounds fun! Daddy, can I steal too?"_

_"__NO!" Splendid barked. "You can't! It's a wrong thing to do!"_

_"__Really?"_

_"__You don't need to steal anything." Lifty laughed and hugged the girl. "You've already stolen our hearts!"_

**_30_****_th_****_ October, 2X08 (Splendia: Age 6)_**

_"__Go fuck yourself, faggot."_

_An earsplitting bang resounded in the alleyway as Lifty triggered the pistol. Shooting the gangster, he started treading on his corpse._

_"__I told you I ain't no woman, bastard." Lifty cussed and hid his handgun. "Go hit on some hooker next time, motherfucker."_

_The greenette gave the corpse a ruthless kick and straightened his wrinkled skirt before striding out of the murky corner. It was getting on his nerves how frequently men mistook him for a girl and tried to flirt with him. Still, what bothered him more was this pair of high heels which he couldn't seem to manage well. He fastened his walk and peeped at his watch nervously. It was Splendia's birthday and he sure as hell wasn't going to miss her party._

_Well…they never knew when exactly she came into this world. They presumed the date Sniffles showed up at Splendid's house was Splendia's birthday._

_"__Oh, come on, where's this fucking damn bus when I need it! I couldn't have missed that!" Lifty murmured, shaking his head impatiently. Without waiting for the traffic sign to turn green, he stepped onto the road directly, only to get his heel stuck in a manhole cover._

_"__Shit." Lifty tried to tow out his left shoe's heel but froze at the abrupt honking sound. He looked up just in time to see a truck approaching him at full speed. To make things worse, the driver was Mole, a blind man who didn't seem to know how to brake his car. It hit the greenette and everything ceased at once. _

_Lifty woke up in the hospital to be informed that he had died in the car crash and had been resurrected. Splendid was clasping his hand with a twisted expression. Lifty sat up, startled to find himself dressed in shirt and pants. _

_"__Enough." Splendid sobbed, his voice low and croaky. "It's enough. First, it's the thugs. Now, it's your life. I'm not letting you cross-dress anymore. It's so fucking stupid!"_

_"__Stop it. I just need to-"_

_"__Lifty, don't you get it?" Splendid bellowed, almost looking at his mates with pleading eyes. "It's never going to work! You're a guy! You can never be a girl! Unless of course, you drink one of those Sniffles' transgender potions but hell no, I'm not going to let you take even a single sip. I'm calling off this game. RIGHT NOW. It's not funny. It's giving you nothing but trouble!"_

_"__But…no, Splendia needs a-"_

_"__She doesn't! She doesn't need a mother!" Splendid yelled. "She only needs us! And I've told her."_

_"__What did you tell her?" Lifty quaked, feeling tears in his eyes again._

_"__Her mother's run off on her birthday." Splendid said. "She's not coming back. So you aren't going to put on that stupid fucking wig and that ugly dress again. Enough is enough. I'm not enduring this anymore. I like you as guy, not as a woman. And screw those gangsters who keep hitting on you. Screw those high heels which kill you! It's making me so sick! Please, Lifty! We'll just have to let her know that her mom doesn't exist anymore! She's not coming back! NO, SHE'S NOT COMING BACK!"_

_"__How…How could you do this to her?" Lifty stuttered, choking on his whimpers angrily. "On…her birthday?!"_

_"__How could you do this to yourself?" Splendid retorted and wailed. "You're breaking my heart! Tell me how many times you have died by accident because of cross-dressing! It's the worst idea ever! I should have never agreed to you in the first place!"_

_"__And she…she's going to grow up without a mother!" The greenette cried. "How could you..."_

_"__Then let it be!" Splendid roared. "How many kids out there actually grow up with one anyway? ANSWER ME! She doesn't need a mother! She never needs one!"_

**_11_****_th_****_ November, 2X08 (Splendia: Age 6)_**

_"__Dad…when is Mom coming home?" Splendia asked, hugging her father woefully. "It's been ten days since she's gone…I miss her…Am I not behaving well enough? Is she mad at me? Dad? Where's Mom?"_

_"__Hey…she…er…she won't be home for a while, cupcake." Splendid smiled, rubbing the child's cheeks gently. "You'll meet someone else."_

_"__Who?"_

_"__He'll hang out with you just as much. You'll like him." The hero assured, bringing his daughter to this mysterious said stranger._

_Splendia blinked curiously at the man on the porch. His lime green hair was combed neatly with a clip on his stylish bangs. He had one hand in his pocket and the other holding a cigarette. As soon as he spotted the girl, he snickered. "Oh hi, precious."_

_Splendia twitched a little when the man called her 'precious', the very same way her mother did._

_"__Dad…who's this guy?" Splendia asked._

_"__He's your-" Before Splendid could utter the word, Lifty answered for him. "uncle."_

_"__Uncle?" Splendia bit her lips. "I have an uncle?"_

_"__No, he's your f-" Splendid tried to correct but was again cut off promptly by his mate._

_"__Yes! I'm your uncle." Lifty chuckled and squatted down before the girl. "You know, your mommy's brother?"_

_"__Really? Do you know where Mom is? Is she coming back to tuck Splendia into bed at night?" The girl's face lit up when she heard that the man was her mother's relative._

_"__Um…" Lifty mused. "She'll be back shortly, I suppose. But in the meantime, I can tuck you into bed at night if you want."_

_"__Do you know what tales Mom always tells me?"_

_"__Sure, why not?" Lifty laughed. "I know everything she knows."_

_"__Cool!" Splendia giggled. "Uncle-"_

_"__Lifty." Lifty said._

* * *

**A/N:** Yes! Lol, the 'mother' in Splendia's memory is actually Lifty all along XD She's just unaware of his true identity. In that case, her mother has actually never left her. I have no idea why I would even write something like this. As said, it's supposed to be a parody xD A pun to be honest. But it seems that this story is getting really dumb in all sense. I hope those who are following this story still enjoy this chapter though. And this fandom is seriously getting sooooo quiet -.- Everything is so dead. *sigh*


	6. Chapter 6

**_6_****_th_****_ January, 2X09 (Splendia: Age 6)_**

_"__Why didn't you let me tell her the truth?" Splendid asked. He leaned forwards and nuzzled the other boy's neck, his teeth grazing across his smooth, fine skin._

_"__She's too young to learn the truth." Lifty said, flinching slightly at the hero's touch._

_"__If we stay like this, she's going to think that her mother will come back one day." Splendid hissed, wrapping his arms around Lifty's shoulders._

_"__Maybe she will come back one day."_

_"__I told you I'm not letting you pretend to be her mom anymore!" Steamed, the hero pinned his partner down and yelled._

_"__Stop it. She's going to hear us."_

_"__You know what…this is getting really astray." Splendid let go of the greenette and sighed in frustration. "I don't like this at all."_

_"__It isn't that bad." Lifty giggled and kissed the other male swiftly. "At least, we can still call it a family."_

_"__Family…" Splendid trailed off and pondered hard about the sensitive word. "Do we really need one?"_

_"__We're already having one, aren't we?" Lifty cackled and nudged his partner. "It seems like yesterday when we were still grumbling how much we hated this child. But you're getting to like her more than I do. What happened when you bought her that expensive princess outfit last week and freaked out just because she got a cut on her finger yesterday? Haha."_

_"__Shut up." Splendid growled. "I still…I still think she's ruining all our fun."_

_The hero blushed sheepishly and cuddled the other boy._

_"__We've got more time than we need, right?" Lifty said. _

_And then…it hit both males to realize that they were never going to grow any older but their daughter…_

_Sniffles was preparing for his next marvelous experiment when two puffing males barged into his laboratory. Grunting in dissatisfaction, he put down his test tube and tossed away his goggles._

_"__Can't you at least knock on the door?" The scientist said, utterly annoyed by his intruders' lack of courtesy._

_"__Sniffles! We have a question to ask!" Lifty sprinted towards the nerd and gripped his shoulders anxiously. "S-Splendia…she's a clone…is she going to be the same as everyone else? Will she actually keep growing up?"_

_"__What? Isn't she growing up right now?" Sniffles furrowed his brows in puzzlement. _

_"__No! What we mean is, will she keep on growing older after turning eighteen and die one day? Or is she going to be immortal like us?" Splendid asked, still panting. _

_"__Ah…I see. You're finally worried about your child now, aren't you?" Sniffles blurted out a sickening laugh. "I thought you two wanted to get rid of her so desperately!"_

_"__SHUT UP AND ANSWER US!" Lifty bellowed, nearly smashing the scientist's face to the wall._

_"__Calm down." Sniffles said calmly. "She might be a clone but she's like everyone else. She will stay immortal. If my calculation is correct, there won't be any major difference in her growth rate. Oh, but, you mustn't let her out of this town or she'll turn into ashes. That's the only precaution. Other than that, I think she'll be fine. She might have some trouble controlling her powers but it's not like…" Sniffles paused and glanced at Splendid in amusement. "It's not like her dad can control his powers well either, haha."_

_"__Get lost, faggot!" Lifty said but an expression ever so relieved sprawled over his face. Knowing that his daughter was granted immortality like others, he somehow relaxed a little. _

_"__Meh, shouldn't you at least show me some gratitude? I created your precious child." Sniffles taunted. "She's the best clone I've ever made besides Splendo."_

_"__What?" The males gasped._

_"__Oh, don't you know that your brothers have a son too?" The hysterical scientist laughed. "It's so fun to experiment on you guys! I created a boy for Splendont and Shifty. And you've got to see their reactions when I showed up at their house with his baby boy. Priceless. ABSOLUTELY PRICELESS. It's even more hilarious than yours. Haha."_

_"__You are…so fucking sick!" Lifty howled, smacking Sniffles across the face. "You think it's funny to experiment on people, don't you? Why don't you experiment on Nutty and yourself! You despicable, retarded piece of scum."_

_"__Mind you, I can take away her life as easily as I've given her." Sniffles warned, glaring furiously at his attacker. His words caught the two males. They didn't dare charge at him again._

_"__Scared now, huh?" Sniffles chuckled. "So much you care about her and yet she's just a fragile soul. Maybe someday when she knows the truth, she'll hate you for bringing her into this world."_

_"__I'll kill you." Splendid screeched. "You hear me? You incorrigible, impertinent freak, don't you dare lay your hands on her! She's ours!"_

_"__Try me." The scientist laughed for one last time before going back to his working table._

**_27_****_th_****_ May, 2X10 (Splendia: Age 7)_**

_"__Uncle Lifty, can I ask you a question?" Splen__dia cooed, peeking out of her gigantic story book. The girl was sitting at the table, swinging her legs playfully back and forth as she looked at the greenette with curious eyes._

_"__Yea?" Lifty smirked and put down his newspapers. _

_"__What does it mean by 'happily ever after'?" The girl questioned naively._

_"__What? You don't know?" The greenette yapped, simply shocked that his child had no idea what the phrase means. "I thought your dad has read you enough fairytales."_

_"__Yes, but he's never explained to me what it means." Splendia said glumly and fiddled with her fingers. _

_"__Look, when a boy and a girl in your story stay in love together forever, that means 'happily ever after'." Lifty mused, rubbing his chin contemplatively. "That's the closest explanation I can give you."_

_"__Must they be in love with each other?" The girl asked, tilting her head slightly to one side._

_"__No, to be honest, in real life, you can live happily ever after on your own. When you're simply happy and free from money problems, I suppose it's what we call a happy ending." Lifty laughed, poking the girl's cheeks tauntingly._

_"__So, you'll just have to be happy forever." The girl reiterated with a mirthful smile. _

_"__Exactly."_

_"__Are you happy, Uncle Lifty?" Bouncing off her chair, the girl flew over to the greenette and hugged his neck. _

_"__Um…not really." Lifty snorted, scratching his head in discomfort. _

_"__Why?"_

_"__You see, I haven't got enough cash lately." Lifty admitted. "Ay...always running out of money."_

_"__That's because you bought me that giant doll house yesterday!" Splendia pointed out. _

_"__So you know you're the culprit of my unhappiness." The greenette sneered. _

_"__Ah! Don't be sad! I'll give you my pocket money if you want!" Splendia offered and hugged him tighter. "But we'll have to keep it a secret from Dad. Are you happy now?"_

_"__A bit happier."_

_"__What if I make a wish to my fairy godmother? She'll make you happy, right?"_

_"__Haha, save your wishes, precious." Lifty chortled. "You'll need them later in your life."_

_"__Why?"_

_"__Maybe you'll stumble upon someone you like and you'll wish to be with him forever?" The greenette smiled. _

_"__You mean my prince charming." Splendia whooped and clapped her hands elatedly._

_"__You read too many fluffy tales." Lifty laughed._

_"__Is there someone you like, Uncle Lifty?" The girl simpered. "Like your princess maybe?"_

_"__You're my princess already."_

_"__No! I mean is there some girl you'll marry?"_

_"__I've already married one."_

_"__What? Really? I've never seen my aunt!" Splendia exclaimed in excitement. "What does she look like?"_

_"__Er…she's a sexy angel." Lifty snickered, immediately fantasizing the hero with feathery white wings._

_"__That's the same thing Dad says about Mom. I wonder when Mom is coming home." Splendia pouted. _

_"__Well, it doesn't matter if she isn't around you. She'll still love you without your knowing." Lifty smiled. "Sometimes, you might not be with the one you love, but that doesn't mean you're forgotten."_

_"__Really? Do you think Mom misses me too?"_

_"__She surely does."_

**_16_****_th_****_ March, 2X13 (Splendia: Age 10)_**

_Splendid walked over to the whining girl and embraced her gently._

_"__Dad…can I make a wish to God now?" The girl babbled. "Uncle Lifty said if I really want something badly, God will hear me and answer my prayer."_

_"__Hey…what's wrong? Why're you crying?"_

_"__They said I'm weird." Splendia sobbed. "Because I have strength they don't have. Because I run faster than they do. Because I can float in the air and burn things with my eyes. Because I can breathe ice. And because I do things nobody else does! Why am I so different from others? Is this why Mom left me?"_

_"__Listen, Splendia, you're different from others because you're special." Splendid smiled. "It's a gift from God. Mom didn't leave you because you have superpowers. She's proud of you. We all are."_

_"__R-Really?" The girl looked up dubiously._

_"__Yes." Splendid nodded and affirmed. "And you're the best thing that's ever happened to me."_

_"__But…nobody wants to be my friend!" Splendia cried. "They all say I'm scary!"_

_"__You ain't scary." Lifty said. "Ignore them."_

_"__I can't." Splendia wailed. "And no one invites me to their party!"_

_"__Ah! We'll hold a party for you, cupcake!" Splendid said. "We'll give you everything you want. Just forget about what others say! They are speaking trash."_

_"__Yea, you don't really need anyone else. We'll always stay with you." The greenette assured._

**_10_****_th_****_ May, 2X16 (Splendia: Age 13)_**

_The girl stopped drawing once as she heard a knock on the door._

_"__Come in." She said._

_The two young men entered the room with a vague smile. Realizing what day it was, they thought it would be good to see if their daughter needed any condolence. _

_"__Hey, I thought someone ordered a cup of hot chocolate." Splendid giggled softly and placed the drink on Splendia's desk._

_"__Thanks, Dad." The girl said, retrieving her painter._

_"__Um…what're you doing, precious?" Lifty asked, amazed by the girl's talented hand-painting._

_"__This…" Splendia smiled and looked up at the green-haired male. "This is my Mother's Day gift for Mom! When she comes back, she'll be receiving all these cards I've drawn her."_

_The two men exchanged an aching glance and stared at the teel box on the table. Piling up inside the box was a stack of handmade gifts dedicated to her missing mother._

_"__Er…hey, cupcake, can we talk?" Splendid cooed, stroking the girl's hair to catch her attention._

_"__No, I'm busy." The girl said._

_"__I know you're busy but Daddy wants to talk to you."_

_"__Okay…" The girl spun the chair around and faced the hero reluctantly. He sat down on the edge of the bed and sighed. "Splendia, I know you miss Mommy very much but I have to tell you that she's not coming back."_

_"__You're lying." Splendia chanted almost instantly._

_"__I'm not lying." Splendid said bitterly. "Your mom isn't coming back."_

_"__How do you know?" The girl interrogated, crossing her legs in annoyance. _

_"Splendia, what did I tell you about manners?" The hero grunted. "Ladies don't sit like that."_

_"Then tell me why Mom ran away!" The girl demanded, roughly putting down her legs. _

_"__Because…"_

_"__Because you're the reason she ran off!" Splendia squealed and stood up at once. "You're the reason she abandoned me!"_

_"__Stop yelling, Splendia. Sit down." The hero commanded. The girl lost her temper and knocked down a few things on her desk. "Girls in my class…they all have a mom. I don't. I don't dare tell them. Because they'll ask me why. And I never know why. I never did anything wrong. I don't know why Mom was mad and left me. You said if I were a good girl, she would come back. You said so, Dad! You're lying. You're always lying!"_

_"__Stop it! I don't really want to shout at you, Splendia." Splendid piped up, trying hard to stifle his impending rage. _

_"__I wish she had taken me away with her! I want Mom! I want MOM!" The girl wailed, not caring if her words shot the man's heart like a gun._

_"__Splendia!" Splendid stood up and raised his fist, only to be grasped by Lifty. The greenette glowered at his partner and held him back._

_"__Hey, precious, mind if you get out of the room for a moment?" The greenette urged, trying hard the smoother the other boy's soaring anger._

_The girl gasped, barely believing that her father had just attempted to hit her. She hushed in a split second and bolted out of the room crying._

_"__What the hell were you thinking?" Lifty shoved Splendid against the wall, breaking a photo frame in the process. "You can't hit her!"_

_"__She's being unreasonable! She never listens!" Splendid sobbed, looking guilty in an instant. "And I'm tired of answering all her damn questions! Always asking for Mom. Mom. Mom. And MOM! Damn it, we've given her everything and all she knows is to throw a tantrum at us! What's so special about Mom, eh? She's so spoiled!"_

_"__Still, you can't hurt her!" Lifty reasoned._

_"__Quit pampering her! At this rate, she's going to keep asking for more! Sooner or later, she's going to ask us to give her the whole damn world! I'm really tired, Lifty! I AM SO FUCKING TIRED!" Splendid groused and burst into tears. "I…I never thought taking care of a child is that wearisome. I…I'm sad when she doesn't give a shit about us. She never even respects us at all…"_

_"__Don't." Lifty shook his head and hugged the hero. "She doesn't know why her mom left her. That's why she's angry. You can't blame her! It's our fault. Remember, it's our fault."_

_"__It's not our damn fault! She…She doesn't understand how pressured and torn we are. We've tried to give her everything and all she's asking is something impossible! I can't take this any longer…I want to give up…I really want to-"_

_"__No, please, she'll understand someday…" Lifty insisted, patting his mate's head calmly. "We'll just have to give her time. You can't be harsh on that child. Don't even mention anything about her mom not coming back. You can't snatch away the last piece of hope from her. You can't do this to our poor girl."_

_"__It's not like I don't love her but she…she keeps giving us a hard time." Splendid whined, crouching on the floor gloomily. Whenever he got involved in an argument with his daughter, he would feel this sudden urge of flaring up. "As much as we want to give her a home, she doesn't appreciate it at all…Why is she so difficult…Why?"_

_"__Or maybe we just don't know how to handle her." Lifty said. "We aren't good enough. She's too young to understand anything. We'll have to hold on."_

_"__I…I can't…I really can't."_

_"__Splendid," Lifty sighed and sat down beside the bluenette. "What's happened to the hero I once knew? I thought he could never be defeated by a 13-year-old girl."_

_"__But she-"_

_"__She's our child. Our girl." Lifty chuckled. "What do you expect? She's just as difficult as you! Hehee."_

_"__I guess…" Splendid flushed and pouted irately. "Still, I'm angry. She has been acting too rude to us."_

_"__The point is, as I heard from Cuddles the other day, no matter how many times your kids screw your life, you still have to love them." Lifty shrugged. "And I'm not used to this cheesy line but that's probably damn true."_

_"__Ugh, don't bother. Everyone else has a better family than we do! At least, everything is normal for them!" The hero complained._

_"__Abnormality is specialty." The thief said, burying his face in Splendid's shoulder. "I don't steal normal stuff. It's got to worth something at the very least."_

_"__You are so weird." The bluenette snorted, automatically running his fingers through those sleek green locks._

_"__We are all weird, aren't we?" Lifty laughed. "That's what makes our family special!"_

**_16_****_th_****_ Novemeber, 2X16 (Age: 14)_**

_"__Hey, you didn't finish your dinner here, cupcake." Splendid said, smiling at his disgruntled daughter._

_"__I…I'm full, Dad." Splendia dumped the fork and wiped her mouth with the napkin._

_"__Is something wrong?" The hero asked nervously. "Or is the food not good enough?"_

_"__No…it's actually very delicious." The girl frowned and pursed her lips._

_"__What's the matter?" Lifty asked, twirling his own spoon worriedly._

_"__Dad, Uncle Lifty, am I ugly?" The girl piped up._

_"__What?" The two men yelped at the same time. Staring at the girl in awe, they both dropped their cutlery and ceased eating. _

_"__No one invites me to the prom! They say only ugly girls don't get a partner!" Splendia lashed out in tears, tapping the table fiercely. _

_"__Ugh, that's bullshit." Lifty rolled his eyes. "You know what? You're the prettiest thing in this world. I don't think I've seen anyone more beautiful than you. Those bitches are just jealous."_

_"__Lifty!" Splendid howled. He flashed his mate a baleful glare, signaling him to swallow back his foul language._

_"__But the boys? They seem so frightened when they see me. Am I so ugly that I make them flee?" Splendia cocked her brows and asked._

_"__No! They don't know what treasure they're missing out." Lifty snickered._

_"__Stop speaking as though she's a commodity." Splendid smacked Lifty upside the head and turned to the perplexed girl. "Look, cupcake, it's better for you to hang out with no one than to hook up with some bastards."_

_"__See? You're using pretty much the same vocabulary!" Lifty argued and punched Splendid in the arm._

_"__What? 'Bastards' sound better than 'bitches'. And Splendia doesn't really have to learn the meanings of those words!"_

_"__I know what they mean." Splendia laughed. "You guys are so funny. Okay, I get it. I won't be depressed because no one asks me to the prom."_

_"__We can go with you if you want." Lifty offered, his eyes gleaming with anticipation._

_"__No! No one goes with their family!"_

_"__How about you go with your dear cousin Splendo?" Splendid suggested. "I don't think he's got a partner either."_

_"__No. He's such a jerk." Splendia said._

_"__Woah, where did you learn that word?!" Splendid widened his eyes and gasped._

_The girl eyed Lifty and smirked. "Nowhere."_

_The hero growled and glared at the greenette again. "You're so dead tonight, Lifty."_

_"__Shut up." Lifty whispered back, tittering a bit._

**_29_****_th_****_ March, 2X17 (Splendia: Age 14)_**

_Splendid yawned and stretched his arms. Midway through his knitting, his girl barged into the room and bounced onto his lap. "Dad!"_

_"__What's it now, cupcake?" The hero put aside his knit-work and hugged the girl._

_"__It's Parents' Day tomorrow! You've got to remember to come!" Splendia reminded. _

_"__Oh gosh, I almost forgot." Splendid muttered to himself._

_"__You'll come, right?"_

_"__Yes, of course." Splendid smiled. "I'd really want to know how well my sweet little girl is doing at school."_

_"__Hehee, that's a promise. See you tomorrow, Dad!" The girl got back onto her feet and danced out of the room._

_****__30_**_th_****_ March, 2X17 (Splendia: Age 14)_**

_The hero returned home grunting in fatigue. It had been a long, grueling day. He had rushed back to his office in the morning to finish his work just so he could catch the last train before noon to attend his daughter's school function. He was in the middle of his journey when he heard a few deafening cries. He got changed in a flash and flew off to save several citizens from a hurricane before finally arriving at Splendia's school. Nothing was more comforting than the fact that she hadn't disappointed him with her grades. At least, he hadn't tripped himself and almost fallen off a cliff just to receive a report card full of red marks._

_"__Yo, how's it going?" A familiar snigger echoed across the room._

_"__Ugh…" Splendid sighed and lay down on the couch. _

_"__What? Didn't you meet her class teacher today?" Lifty asked._

_"__Yes, and guess who's her class teacher."_

_"__Who?"_

_"__LUMPY!"_

_"__Isn't he your boss at Daily Acorns?" Lifty laughed._

_"__Don't ask me why he's got so many jobs." Splendid said, hurling a piece of paper at his partner. "There you go, our girl's results."_

_"__Wow, and she's got…wait, hold on a second, is it even possible that she's got distinctions in all subjects?" Lifty blinked at the report card in disbelief. "I don't remember you being that intelligent back at school either."_

_"__Happy now?" Splendid scoffed. "So much devotion we've made in raising her. That's the prize, I guess."_

_"__She's just perfect, I suppose." Lifty commented. "Even more perfect than you, Splendy."_

_"__Because she's got a tricky brain like you, always scheming on something." Splendid said. "Guess what she wants me to buy her this Christmas!"_

_"__What?"_

_"__You wouldn't want to know."_

_"__What is it?"_

_"__All the clothes from the branded boutique in Happy Street!"_

_"__What the hell? I told you not to spoil her!"_

_"__And you were the one who promised her if she got A in everything, we would buy anything she wants for Christmas!" Splendid accused._

_"__Woah, blaming me now, eh? I didn't know she wants everything from a boutique!"_

_"__Ugh, see what you did to her! She's such a greedy girl now. And it's all your fault!" The hero croaked._

_"__It's your stupid parenting style that causes all this shit!" Lifty protested. "Now what?"_

_"__How am I supposed to know? Buy what she wants!" Splendid shrieked._

_"__Should I rob the boutique?" The greenette singgered._

_"__Don't you dare." Splendid warned._

_"__Haha! Your bank account is so screwed." Lifty laughed, only to get hit by a cushion._

**_18_****_th_****_ April, 2X18 (Splendia: Age 15)_**

_Flinging open the door agilely, the girl bounced into the house humming a song._

_"__Wow, someone is unusually happy today." Splendid chuckled._

_"__Dad! Guess what? I've met new friends!" Splendia grinned gleefully._

_"__Good thing to know." Lifty chortled. "Finally."_

_"__YES! And they are soooo awesome." The girl boasted._

_"__Who are they?"_

_"__I'm not telling you." Splendia stuck out her tongue and scampered upstairs._

_"__Being mysterious now, huh?" Lifty said, lying back on the couch lazily._

_"__Get your ass here and sweep the floor, Lift!" Splendid shouted._

_"__I'm taking a nap, dumbass."_

_"__You've got to help with these chores! I'm still the one doing everything!" Splendid ranted. "It's so unfair! I didn't let you stay here just so I can serve you, you know."_

_"__Okay. Okay!" The greenette leaped out of his resting spot and wrapped his arms around the other male. "So, she's met new friends. Is she going to leave us someday?"_

_"__What? Are you scared?" Splendid laughed._

_"__I actually miss the days when she spent more time at home with us." Lifty confessed._

_"__Well, it's part of growing up, I guess. A lady wouldn't always stay by her dad's side."_

_"__But I don't want her to leave. I want to keep her forever. Plus, who on earth is she acquainted with now?"_

_"__You're not the only one curious." Splendid chirped._

_"__What? You mean…you've spied on her?"_

_"__No! I happened to pass by her school yesterday. She's just hanging out with Giggles' son and Flaky's twins."_

_The greenette burst into laughter._

_"__What's so funny?"_

_"__Don't you find it…hilarious? Sarcastic as well. It's like we're friends and our kids are friends too. It's so twisted, actually."_

_"__This is why they call people here Happy Tree Friends!" Splendid said. "The whole point of living in this town is to always meet and mess with the same people. At least, if it's within the same social circle, it sounds more heartening. I don't really need her to meet some strangers outside this zone."_

_"__Tell you what. Karma is a bitch. And it's like yesterday we were still hanging out together in high school."_

_"__Time passes really fast, doesn't it?" The hero laughed. "But still, you look the same as you were 16 years ago! Damn, I actually want to see how you look in all wrinkles and white hair."_

_"__Not as hot as I am right now, I guess." Lifty sneered, leaning in to kiss his mate._

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**A/N (1): This is the last flashback chapter. Next chapter will focus on Splendia's reactions to the devastating truth. Then, there will be the epilogue. Yup, two more chapters to go only xD Please enjoy and review!**

**A/N (2): Okay, since a few of people have pm me some very interesting questions regarding this story, I am happy to share the answers here and make things clear :D**

Q: About the roles of Splendid and Lifty in this family.  
A: Well, Splendid is probably the one responsible for taking care of the household matters, such as organizing the financial expense, accomplishing the chores and setting the rules. Think of him as a picky, nosy, strict, stubborn mother xD Lifty is more the happy-go-lucky member in the family. He doesn't really care much about the household duties but rather, he likes hanging out with their girl. But considering how he is willing to swallow his pride and give up his title as a man just to cross-dress and pretend to be Splendia's 'mother', you can say he is also such a caring mother. To wrap things up, both Splendid and Lifty are two fathers who act pretty much like mothers.

Q: About Splendia's name.  
A: Splendia's real name is Lorraine Squirrels. She takes after Splendid's surname because Lifty, himself, doesn't like the sound of 'Raccoons'. They did discuss about whose last name Splendia should follow. And since Lifty has to pretend to be her mother in the first few years, they eventually decided to make the girl follow Splendid's last name. But over the years, instead of calling her by her real name, they usually call her by her nickname, which is, Splendia.

Q: About Splendid and Lifty's marriage.  
A: Well...they are married. I believe they stand equal to each other, which is also my belief in homosexual relationships. It doesn't mean one of them must be all girlish and lady. By that saying, it means neither of them has to be the absolute wife. They carry out both roles to bring up the child. But if you really like to further define their positions, I would say...Splendid is more like the wife xD Being bossy, temperamental and all. There's also another reason though, which is, in bed, Lifty is usually the top xD

Q: About Splendia's relationships with her parents.  
A: This girl is tricky as hell. She understands exactly what her parents like, so she knows just how to please both of them. She has different strategies though. She is close to both Splendid and Lifty. But in front of Splendid, knowing how he emphasizes manners and intellectual development, she will act exceptionally obedient, respectful and sweet. Occasionally, she learns cooking and sewing with her father. When she needs extra pocket money, she will volunteer to do chores and help Splendid run errands to make him happy.  
Conversely, since she knows he is a thief and he is always the carefree type, she wouldn't act so refined around him. Lifty has no problem with her acting vulgar so she wouldn't restrain herself too much. She will talk to him like she talks to a friend, have fun with him running into trouble and getting into mischief. And occasionally, she actually joins him in the heist and uses her superpowers to assist him (Of course, Splendid doesn't know this. And if he knows, both of them will get spanked for sure). And yes, this girl is extremely cunning and adaptable. She is the kind that can please almost everyone by being the girl they want her to be. Her parents indeed know about her tricks but they still love to spoil her. In short, she is a pampered princess in a castle.

Q: About Splendid's and Lifty's parenting style.  
A: These guys are simply pathetic. They spoil their girl rotten. Splendid will give her anything whenever she scores high in her tests or behaves well. Lifty will buy or steal her anything as long as she doesn't get into trouble (e.g. breaking the oven). Once, Splendid bought her a wardrobe of branded clothes and Lifty stole her two necklances, three bracelets and four handbags xD They don't have a lot of rules for her. As long as she makes them happy, she is free to do anything she wants.

Q: Reasons why Splendid and Lifty treasure Splendia so much.  
A: In the beginning, you can tell the two aren't very happy when they are suddenly given a baby girl. But as time rolls on, they learn to love the child more due to several reasons. Splendid cherishes Splendia a lot because he has never thought he would actually build a family with anyone. He didn't grow up with his parents and he only knows to show his love by giving her everything. He will buy her the most expensive thing if necessary. Lifty, on the other hand, was an orphan in the story. He has been a run-away prisoner, a notorious thief, a stray loner, so the concept of family means and appeals a lot to him . That's also why he has insisted on giving Splendia a 'mother' in the first place. He wants her to have a complete family.

Q: About Splendid's and Lifty's age.  
A: Well...I've never thought about this question seriously. But I think I did mention they were in their late-teens when Sniffles started getting them into trouble. I would say they were around 20-22 when they got the baby girl. Um...that makes them 36-38 now xD Hell, that's old. But...since people don't age in Happy Tree Town, I suppose they still look 18. (Wait...does that mean Splendia's fathers look just as young as her classmates?)

Q: Splendid's and Lifty's impression of Frankie.  
A: Like most a typical father's reactions to his daughter's closest male friend, Splendid and Lifty aren't particularly fond of Frankie. They even consider him to be a threat that might possibly steal their daughter away from them. Splendid remains more rational when dealing with this issue though. He has an excellent long-term friendship with Flippy and Flaky, so he would treat Frankie fairly well. Another reason he accepts Frankie is because he understands Splendia' trouble of having no friends. He is glad that she feels happy befriending Frankie.  
As for Lifty, he is not always on good terms with Flippy. He is also more protective than Splendid. He wouldn't say he hates Frankie but he would always tease and bother him just to show that he doesn't like anyone bugging his little girl XD Of course, at the end of the day, he still has to accept their relationship.

Q: Frankie's impression of the other two.  
A: Frankie is actually scared of Splendid and Lifty. And you will know why in the later chapters xD He respects both of them, albeit he doesn't seem to like Lifty very much. Well, remember in the beginning, he freaks out when he knows that Lifty is Splendia's 'uncle'? LOL.

Q: About Splendont and Shifty in the story.  
A: Well, I never thought anyone would be interested in these two. After all, they are just briefly mentioned in the dialogue. They act as the supporting characters of the parody though. And yes, they do get a clone son named Splendo xD He grows up with Splendia and is her...cousin? twin? brother? xD LOL, their fathers are twins so...I suppose it's twin cousins? HAHA.

**If you have any more questions regarding the tale, or the characters portrayed, you can feel free to pm me :D **


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Okay, guys, I want to finish this story first. I've written my recent update plan on my profile, so check it out if you want.**

**Anyway...here we go, the second last chapter of this story. Read & Review :)**

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The night was cold, so cold that the chillness stung her heart. Her penitence didn't help much. It only intensified the unbearable sentiment stirring in her heart, enveloping her with nothing but sheer guilt. The bluenette had been shown the tape. The tape of her parents' past tagged along with the indispensable truth she had been craving for. She had naively thought that she would be appeased by learning it. And yet, all that remained in the aftermath was only grief. Somewhere, in her heart, Splendia felt an enormous gap waiting to be filled. The solitude which she reckoned she had gotten rid of after meeting Frankie had returned to her side to torment her. And she knew well why she was feeling lonely even when the redhead offered to lull her to sleep. He even planted a soft kiss on her forehead just to pacify her. Normally, such an affectionate intimacy would have driven her to heavenly bliss, taking into account the fact that she had been having a genuine crush on him. However, at the very moment, all she could ruminate about were these two men who had sacrificed sixteen years of time just to bring her up, despite bearing with them the unpromising risk that she would never repay their selfless deed after growing up. They had dedicated their whole hearts to raise her, even though it wasn't their initial idea to have a child in the first place. They could have ditched her, forced her into someone else's care or simply left her to fend for herself. Nonetheless, they were either too compassionate or too attached to this little beastie that they decided to forgo everything they owned, just to give her the shelter where they could at least recognize as a home.

"Frankie…" The bluenette murmured, feeling exceptionally downhearted as she stared at the television screen which had been switched off a few hours ago. Sniffles had taken his leave, letting the two youngsters contemplate on their own.

"Yes?" The redhead smiled brightly. Running his hands through the girl's sleek sapphire locks, he started stroking her hair intently.

"Do you like my hair down like this?" The bluenette asked, though it was not the original question she had intended to ask him. Finally coming to senses, the boy blushed and withdrew his hand bashfully. "Sorry…er…yes, but it doesn't matter if it's tied up in a ponytail or let down like this. I've always fancied your hair. It's so blue, just like the ocean. Don't ever cut it, okay? Haha."

"Yea, I know it's blue." Splendia chuckled, grabbing the boy's hand and placing it back on her hair. "You can play with it if you want. I was just wondering what I ought to do next…"

"You mean, with your dads?" The redhead held up chucks of her hair and began plaiting them.

"I feel sad, Frankie." The bluenette sighed, whining a bit. "After watching the tape, I don't feel like myself anymore. How could I have done something so rude to them? I've never shown enough gratitude. And it's true that they've gotten me everything. I'm still bugging them for something they could never possibly give me. It's so inconsiderate and capricious of me. I'm so ashamed of myself."

The redhead stopped fondling his friend's hair and stared at her earnestly, trying to give the distraught girl some solace. "You know what, I always think that you're a lot better than me in expressing yourself. Even if you're that guilty, you can still tell me you're wallowing in self-accusation. I guess that's why Fannie adores you. You're so upfront and so brave. You really are someone we can never ever become. Want me to be honest with you?"

The bluenette gulped, not knowing if she should thank him for the indirect flattering remark or get it over with. Senselessly, she giggled and nestled her head on the boy's shoulder. "Sure, but don't let Frank out. He's a meanie."

"I'm not letting him take over, haha. You can't seriously think that my alter-ego is the only guy who can be honest with you. Well, what I'm trying to say is, you ought to talk to your dads and settle the whole episode for real. It won't help much if you keep avoiding them."

"You're truly an arbitrator sent by them, aren't you?" The girl spun up on her bed and glimpsed her stealthy friend. "You're so crafty, just like Fannie's said."

"What? She told you that? What else did she say?" The redhead widened his eyes and exclaimed. "Darn, I can't believe she slanders me behind my back!"

"She said she could use more than a hundred adjectives to describe your personality." The bluenette cackled, hugging her knees casually. "She thinks you're foul like a stray dog but I'll say you're more like cute as a kitten."

"Should I be insulted by that?" Frankie growled, sitting back in grievance. "First rule to get along with boys. Don't call them cute. It's really…er…humiliating, but I'll make your statement an exception, since you seem so desperate to butter me up."

"I was just kidding." The bluenette blurted out.

"What? So, you aren't praising me?"

"And that was a joke too, to say that I was just kidding." Splendia chortled, relishing every radical change in the boy's expressions. "My vast stamina allows me to put up with someone with an ego like yours. Tell me again why you're blushing when I say you're cute?"

"Cut…Cut it off." The boy pouted and looked away in frustration. "I'm not blushing."

"Yes, you are. That's probably the result of being honest with me." The bluenette mocked triumphantly. "But let me be honest with you as well. I really appreciate what you've done so far. I didn't actually think that you would agree to cross the border with me. I'm really glad. It would be an honor to die in the arms of a good friend like you."

"I faltered a lot. I wasn't sure why I agreed to leave the town with you. I really wanted to bring you home. Your dads made it clear that if I failed to take care of you and to change your mind, they would wreck my whole life. Gosh, Mr. Raccoons actually blackmailed me by stealing my favourite autographed football and Mr. Squirrels bribed me to keep an eye on you. That's why I stayed up all night, found you sneaking out and tried to stop you. Don't ask me why I could overlook the threat and flee with you. I guess…that's just what friends are for…I couldn't betray you even if I knew I would probably end up like a dead meat. Your dads sure as hell are going to get their revenge on me for bringing you outside the boundaries, but that just proves how much they love you. So, say that you'll forgive them for lying to you and me for almost backstabbing you."

"That's a whole lot of confessions, Frankie." Splendia smirked, giving the boy a teasing pinch on the cheek. "And Frank was so damn right. You guys always lie, especially to us girls. No wonder why Fannie would go out with Snuggles. He has to be the only trustworthy boy in the whole town, so thick and innocent."

"Hey…you're taunting me again! You know I hate being compared to that wimp!" The redhead sulked, crossing his legs irately.

"But since I've gotten accustomed to being lied at, I find you more desirable than someone who can hardly tell a lie. In truth, you look more handsome than him too. That's my confession." Splendia said, holding out her hand. "You have my forgiveness so let's be best friends again."

"Geez, you talk like a kindergarten kid." The redhead snickered and took the girl's hand to shake it. "Why are you so pampered?"

"Because I'm a girl." The bluenette laughed. "It's my privilege to exploit the guys around me. Do you still think I'm a kindergarten kid?"

"You're so tricky. I can never tell from your face. You've got eyes like Mr. Raccoons'. Don't try to blackmail me because it won't work." The redhead declared vainly. "I'm not tamed."

"It'll have to do with time and my super stamina to tolerate a meanie like you, but all in all, I'm feeling happier now. Thank you so much, Frankie." The bluenette slipped back into her blanket and lay down on the bed.

"You owe me a meal, Splendia, a feast, actually. I want a buffet." The redhead stood up and grinned.

"You're so cruel. So, we're friends with benefits, eh?" The girl glared up at the boy and snorted.

"I won't put it that way. After all, you're taking more advantages of me than I am of you." Frankie simpered, bending down to kiss the girl on the cheek. "Good night. Hope you can come to school on Friday."

"Missing me now, aren't you?" The bluenette smiled.

"Everyone misses you, Splendia. I miss my neighbour the most. Class sucks without you around, Miss. Always-Doodle-in-the-Lesson."

"Okay, I'll come back on Friday. You had better prepare all the notes I've missed these few days. There's no such thing as a free buffet." Splendia tittered and winked at her buddy.

"I'm looking forward to it. I'll drop by here tomorrow morning. See you later." The redhead promised, heading to the door to switch off the lights.

"Good night, Frankie." The bluenette purred and shut her eyes in peace.

"Good night."

The girl had a weird dream afterwards. There was an instant when she felt her hands being kneaded in something warm. The warmth engulfed her heart, fueling her with so much comfort and happiness. Lingering between her dream and reality, she squeezed whatever that was holding her palms, trying to elicit some response from whoever sitting at the bedside. Keeping her eyes tightly closed, she listened serenely to the impending speech.

"Tsk, are you trying to wake her or what? Don't clutch her hand like that." Lifty whispered, looking somewhat pissed at his mate but Splendid refused to let go of his daughter's hand.

"Fine, I'll take this side." The greenette grunted, clasping the girl's other free hand. "This is so stupid. Will she hear us?"

"She doesn't want to see us so I guess the only way to communicate with her is when she's asleep. Whether she can hear it or not, we'll still say the same thing over and over again, right? Until she forgives us. That is." The hero said persistently, tugging the smooth hand close to his chest as though it was the most valuable thing on the planet.

"I suppose…you're right." Lifty nodded. Even though he wanted so much to wake the girl and to embrace her begging for forgiveness, he held back his whims and managed to cooperate with his partner in their pathetic tactic to earn their pardon from the girl they treasured the most.

"Um…you go first?" The hero raised his brows, apparently tossing the initiation to the greenette. Befuddled, Lifty shrugged and gawked at his husband in awe.

"What? Don't you have something to say to her?" Splendid urged, making all kinds of gestures to encourage his lover.

"Er…you go first. I need to organize my thoughts." The greenette said, caressing the small hand gently.

"Ugh, alright." The hero sighed. After pausing for a minute, he began to gather his galls and clear his throat. Kneeling down on the floor beside the bed, he held the hand close to his cheek. "Hey, sleepy head, we're here for you. We have something to tell you even though you might not be able to hear us right now. Oh wait, you've got supersonic hearing, right? Hehee, so allow your dads to talk to you in your sleep. Make it like a dream to you. We want to tell you how sorry we are to have lied to you. It's our fault that you're different than the other kids. We let Sniffles show you the tape because we knew this is the truth you're demanding from us. We've tried, cupcake. We want you to have a home like everyone else. We want you to feel only happiness staying with us. We didn't think that we would hurt you this bad. We're sorry. I'm sorry. It's perfectly fine if you don't want to forgive us. If you don't feel comfortable living with us, we can give you a house of your own. Be it a mansion, a cottage or an apartment, just name it. We'll give you everything, but please, don't ever do anything to destruct yourself again. Don't go beyond the border and leave the town. Please?"

"Yea, you know well we can't afford to lose you." The greenette professed, giving the hand a small kiss. "I've robbed so many banks, ransacked so many houses and stolen so many treasures, but none of them could even be compared to this precious lying here. Just so you know, I can give away anything to have you back with us, but we've decided to set you free. The choice is all yours now. You aren't compelled to do anything. You don't have to see us if you hate us. You don't have to stay with us if you think we disgust you. Just promise me though, you'll accept the truth we've told you and carry on. Your 'happily ever after' is always with you regardless of what you are. You might be a clone but to us, you're a human. You're our child, the best gift we could have ever asked for in our whole life. We just want you to find your own beautiful life. Remember what I've told you, you can always make a wish to your fairy Godmother. If we can't stay by your side forever, you can still smile and laugh with your dear friends. There's always someone there for you. When you feel like coming home one day, we'll be waiting. You're our precious cupcake, Splendia. We love you very much."

"We love you more than anything else in this world." The hero chirped, finding it hard to oppress the sorrow bubbling up in his heart.

"Spencer, maybe we should leave her alone for now." Lifty suggested. Carefully standing up from the ground, he walked towards his partner and wiped away his tears.

"Yea…you're probably right…" Splendid smiled. "There's no point of crying here anyway. Our sleeping beauty needs to take some rest."

"That kid must have helped plaited her hair." The greenette said, finally noticing the two long plaits resting on each side of his daughter's shoulder. "She's so pretty."

"Good night, cupcake." The hero cooed, tentatively releasing the hand. "Yea, she's a pretty angel caught in misery."

"An angel isn't supposed to stumble upon someone sinful like us." The greenette sighed. "Let's get going. Good night, precious. Sleep tight."

Slowly and almost unwillingly, the two men shuffled towards the exit, only to be stupefied by a heartbreaking sound that nearly snapped their sanity. They both turned around and gasped in shock. In no way would they believe what they saw.

"No! Don't go, Dads!"

Sitting upright in her bed, the girl wailed louder than any howling wind in the night. Her shrill noise broke the complete tranquility of the science base. Streams after streams of tears trickled down her face as she reached out her hands determinedly; trying to grasp something, something that reminded her of the warmth she had once felt in her palms.

"Splendia?"

The two astounded men dashed to their daughter almost in a flash, both awfully concerned of her sudden outburst.

"What's the matter, precious? Are you feeling pain somewhere? We'll call the doctor in a minute." Lifty said, panicking at the sight of the sniveling girl.

"Yes, what's wrong? Why are you crying, cupcake? Tell me please." The hero inquired, his restless face smeared by almost the same amount of fretful tears.

"Don't leave me alone, Dads…" The girl lamented. "Stay with me…both of you."

The males exchanged a sore glance and sat down silently beside the girl. Taking her into his arms, the hero reassured. "It's okay. We'll stay with you if you want. Don't worry."

"If you don't feel well, we can call Sniffles here." The greenette said. "Don't keep the pain to yourself. We'll always help you."

"I'm sorry…" The girl blubbered, clinging tightly to her parents. "It's not about the pain of my body but my heart. I'm so sorry, Dads…I'm so sorry…I'll never run away from you again…"

"Why do you have to apologize?" The hero said, cuddling his daughter in dismay. "You did nothing wrong, cupcake. We're not blaming you for anything."

"Yes, we're the one to apologize, precious." Lifty nodded, patting the girl's back lightly. "We've lied to you."

"But I turned against you…after everything you've done for me…" The girl cried, seizing both men's shirts in tears. "I made you worry. I made you cry. And I ruined your life. Even if I'm such a spoiled brat, so obstinate, so difficult, you still take care of me. I've never shown my respect, my appreciation, my gratitude…I only knew how to throw a tantrum at you…I only learned to ask for Mom. I'm so sorry, Dads…I'm always so rude…so hard to handle…If you leave me alone, you'll never have to look after a beastie like me. But I…I love you two, too, so please don't abandon me. I'll try to be a good girl from now on, I swear…"

"Why are you saying all this?" Splendid frowned. "You might be stubborn and difficult at times but you've always been a good girl. We're the ones who have made you cry. We'll never dump you, cupcake. We'll never give you away to anyone else. We just thought you didn't want to see us anymore."

"We thought you hate us." The greenette whined. "We'll never ever abandon you, silly. We'll still come every day and night to visit you even if you refuse to see us. We were just trying to have a talk with you in your sleep. We didn't mean to wake you, precious. We're sorry."

"I didn't fall asleep entirely. I was waiting for both of you! And I was so scared that I couldn't tell you the truth on my own. I want to go home with you. I want to stay with you two forever. And I'll never ask for a mom again. I'll just stick to what you've given me. Such a nice and wonderful family that is. I won't leave the town and run away from home again. So, let things go back to how they used to be."

"But Splendia, we can never give you a mother." The hero piped up.

"I don't need a mother!" The girl insisted, hugging the two males exultantly. "Why on earth do I need a mom when I have two awesome dads with me?"

"You mean it? You're okay with us being together?" The greenette asked, barely able to contain himself with ecstasy.

"Of course, I'm okay! And I've never been this happy to know that both my parents have always been there for me all along! If only I knew the truth earlier, I would have loved you as much as I do now! Dads, let's go home together!"

"Oh God, tell me this isn't a dream after all." The hero grinned in more delight than ever. "You're really coming back to us?!"

"Yes, I am." The girl affirmed blissfully. "Because I'll always be your precious cupcake!"


	8. Chapter 8

The redhead was taking a siesta during a lesson he detested the most when a sudden hit of pain in the back of his head woke him. Groaning in irritation, he sat up and glared at the artful girl beside him.

"Why the hell did you hit me with a pen?" Frankie grumbled and yawned at the same time. He could never understand the super girl's motives. For some reason, they were always getting at each other. If she was to slumber like him, he would also try by all means to wake her.

"Because Mr. Moose was looking at you just now." Splendia said, though there was more mischief in her claimed intention. "He was about to catch you sleeping in class."

"That's just an excuse." The redhead pointed out accurately. "You want me to chat with you, right? Is the lesson bothering you already?"

"Bingo. You're always so sharp, dude." The girl smiled victoriously, seeing no need to further elaborate on the reason why she had struck him with her stationary.

"Thank you, Miss spoiled-rotton-always-disturbing-her-neighbour-for-fun." The redhead said, leaning down on the table again.

"Hey, aren't you going to entertain me? I'm extremely bored, Frankie." The girl moped, poking her friend incessantly.

"Gosh, stop it, Splendia, I'm lacking sleep because of you." The redhead retorted. "You ought to take the responsibility for my inadequate rest."

"Why? How so?" The girl widened her eyes in confusion. Sighing, the boy sat up and ruffled his messy scarlet hair. "Let me tell you something I didn't plan on telling you in the first place."

"Oh, won't you make it short." The bluenette rolled her eyes, smacking her partner with a notebook.

"Ouch! That's the third time you attacked me today!" The redhead yapped. "Damn, I'm going to remember this."

"For what?"

"For when I mess with you next time. You're going to pay for this!" Frankie threatened, though his menace somehow turned into a joke instead.

"Go on. Tell me your melancholy experience of lacking sleep." The bluenette smirked, giving the boy a slight push on the shoulder.

"Let me think about it." The redhead mused.

"Oi, if you don't tell me about it, I'm not going to treat you to a buffet." Splendia bargained.

"Okay, okay, I'll talk!" The redhead gave up the quarrel, trying to recall the ultimate cause of his insufficient sleep.

"Well?" Splendia grinned, waiting patiently for the interesting tale yet to be unraveled.

"When I say your dads are scary, I really mean it." Frankie said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

"Why?" The girl chuckled, amazed that the redhead still hadn't lost his temper yet.

"Yesterday, they dragged me to a restaurant to make a deal with me." The redhead said, mentally re-looping the scene where he got cornered after school and extorted by the two men. He could remember how he dropped his jaws upon seeing Splendid and Lifty waiting for him at the school gate. The next thing he knew, he was tossed into a van and driven to a restaurant for a discussion he was forced to engage in. "I told you they would get their revenge on me for taking you out of the town."

"Oooh, what exactly did they do?" The bluenette asked dramatically.

"Mr. Squirrels tried to shoot me with his laser eyes and Mr. Raccoons pointed his handgun at me." The redhead said in an unexpectedly calm tone.

"What? Seriously? They tried to kill you?" The girl gasped incredulously, shooting the boy an dumbstruck look.

"Just kidding." Frankie laughed. "I mean, I also thought they were ready to kill me. Hell, I even wanted to scream. They looked so pissed. And then, all of a sudden, they burst into laughter and said that they were just fooling around with me. Gosh, even the pranks your dads pull on others are so devastating. I nearly got a heart attack. Luckily, I didn't get Frank out or it had to end in a disaster."

"Well, that's…I have no idea they would want to trick you like that. Sorry, Frankie." The girl apologized. "My dads are very impulsive. They're like kids. They don't think much before they do something, really."

"I'm not really troubled by the way they've threatened me. I can understand the reason why they're trying so hard to protect you. But they really blew my mind there. I thought they were still mad at me for taking you away." The redhead said, nibbling his lips uneasily.

"They don't get mad at someone for too long." Splendia cackled. "And there's no way they can vent their anger on you because you're my friend. They know how not to make me sad."

"You mean, if I really got killed by your dads yesterday, you would be sad?" The redhead cocked his brows in amusement.

"True. I like all of you, so don't you ever get into a fight. Good boys don't fight, okay?"

"You're treating me like your pet. Darn, tell me again why I'm still hanging out with you." The redhead coughed and shook his head in feigned consternation.

"Because you've got immense stamina like me!" The girl said, poking her friend's cheek with a pen playfully.

"Eek, you're so sly. I feel mugged. You and your family are a bunch of dangerous creatures."

"And aren't you a dangerous one as well?" The girl laughed. "Mind you, who's the one with a dissociative identity disorder here? It's you, Frankie Bears! I'm just a super girl with a super fragile heart, ta-da."

"I'll try not to break your glass then." The redhead mocked. "The discussion they had for me was to ask me to look after you at school, but I don't think I need to do that. You're already so bloody strong. I believe no one in a thousand years would dare come near you."

"I take that as an insult! You're so dead, Frankie. I'm not going to let you copy my answers in the test ever again!"

"What? Ahhhh, no!" The redhead yelped, hurling a rubber at his neighbour. "You can't do that to me! I suck at Literature! Splendia!"

"Friends with benefits, eh? You're apparently the one taking more advantages right now." The girl accused harshly.

"Isn't it good? Can do with the change once in a while." The redhead smiled, laying his head on her shoulder.

"I'm not a pillow, dumbass." The bluenette said, trying to shake the boy off only to have him cling even closer to her.

"I need to take a nap. Your dads kept me out until nine last night. If I get dark circles on my handsome face, I'm going to blame you."

"What have you got for Mr. Bears on Father's Day?" Splendia cooed.

"A new pair of combat boots for Flippy and a new bowie knife for Fliqpy." The redhead replied. "Fannie is going to get him some handmade things, I guess. I'm pretty sure he's going to like her gifts more than mine."

"Don't say that. He loves you both equally." The girl giggled. "Ay, your head is so heavy, Frankie!"

"Your shoulder is too soft." The redhead echoed. "So comfy…"

"I…I still haven't decided on what to give to my dads."

"Your dads, eh? Isn't you alone enough to cheer them up?"

"I still have to do something." The girl said, slowly diverting her gaze to the half-sleeping boy nestling on her. "And how about you? Do I cheer you up?"

"Always." The redhead purred.

* * *

The greenette paced restlessly around the house, trying his best to get the festive mood out of his muddled mind. The hero, not exactly realizing what Lifty was fidgeting about, cracked up the moment he saw his partner trip over a stool and slam his face straight onto the ground.

"Shut…up!" Lifty got back up onto his feet hastily, looking daggers at the other male.

"What's all the fuss about, Lift? I've never seen you like this." The bluenette scoffed, savoring every second when his mate was freaking out like a lost child.

"I won't tell you." The former thief pouted and turned away from Splendid, only to get hugged from behind. "Eek, let go."

"No, why should I? Make me." The hero taunted, tightening his grip around his mate's waist.

"Fine! I'll tell you why I'm feeling queer!" The greenette cried and whirled around so that he was facing the hero. "I…I'm sort of thinking what Splendia would give us. You know, I mean…how should I put this…I…"

"I know. She always gives me a gift on every Father's Day. And for the past ten years, she's been keeping a pile of Mother's Day gifts not knowing that you were actually her mother in the first six years of her life. You're excited about getting your first Father Day's gift, aren't you?"

"You're…" The greenette flushed, puckering his lips in embarrassment. "How could you…er…say this out loud…It's so…"

"You're blushing." The hero laughed. "You should be more honest, man."

"That doesn't matter. You can always read through my mind anyway."

"Are you satisfied that you've gotten back all the Mother's Day gifts?" The bluenette asked, holding back another laughter.

"Urgh, I'm her father!" Lifty stammered. "And…and since she said she wouldn't need a mother anymore…I don't think I will ever cross-dress again. So yea, it's pretty thrilling to expect something from that beastie."

"You're so simple." The hero commented, flying back into the kitchen to check on his cake in the oven.

"What…What do you mean by that?" The former thief interrogated, feeling somewhat teased.

"Your brain, your mind, your life, your everything is so simple." The bluenette sneered. "Such a minor thing is able to make you happy. I'm not surprised."

"You…Spencer Squirrels, mind your words. I'm going to…going to.."

"Going to what?" The hero smirked, pinning his partner to the wall in a flash. "Steal all the money from my bank account?"

"I can hack into your account, you know, if I want to." The greenette admitted.

"But you won't. You won't dare, dear." Splendid smiled, brushing his lips against the other male's.

"You're cheeky as always." Lifty growled, shoving the bluenette away. "Don't kiss me like that. Let's make out tonight."

"That's like the boldest love confession I've heard from you in years." The hero shrugged, taking out a tray from the drawer.

"If she doesn't mind us being gay, I suppose I can be even bolder than this." The greenette said, opening the oven for his mate.

"Love me enough not to make me go bankrupt. All the money is saved up for that beastie."

"Yea, told you bringing up a child is a pain in the neck. It's totally uneconomical."

"But you're still willing to make the investment." The hero pinpointed. Holding out the tray, he started casually putting the freshly baked cupcakes in line.

"That's the best investment I've ever made."

"I agree so." The hero nodded.

"So, are you in for the night or not?" The greenette gurgled, blowing the words right into the other boy's ears.

"And if she hears us?" The bluenette twitched a little and peeped at his partner.

"I don't care. I've been restrained for far too long. I wanna fuck you right now, to be honest. Let's make love."

"Sweet. I'm in then. You had better make sure she's sound asleep before coming into my room." The hero said. "Tuck her into bed with some of your fairytales."

"I'm sure she won't need any more fairytales." The former thief laughed. "That Frankie boy texts her every night just to say 'good night'. Damn cheesy. And it actually rocks her to sleep!"

"So, we can't even get compared to this damn kid, eh? It's mortifying." The bluenette croaked, kissing his lover again.

"Dads or boyfriend? I'm sure at her age she'll choose the latter." Lifty said, gently wrapping his arms around his partner

"He's not even her boyfriend yet, haha."

"Yea, pathetic, I know." The greenette tittered. "I don't wanna lose her either. But right now, I seriously wanna fuck you so bad. Damn, you're making me hard."

"Take care of yourself in the toilet, Mr. Raccoons." The hero smiled and pushed his husband away. "Our daughter will be home soon."

"Ugh, now I'm getting nervous about the special gift."

"Three, two, one." The hero announced just as a sudden clunk brought a jittery girl into the house.

"Dads! I'm home!" Splendia screeched through the threshold. Chucking her school bag away, she bounced onto the first target that came in her way.

"Hey, good to see you, precious." Lifty grinned, holding the girl in his arms. "You're heavy, you know."

"You're so mean, Dad." The girl snorted, leaping back down on the ground.

"So, who's ready for dinner and desserts?" The hero whooped happily.

"Me!" The other two answered almost spontaneously.

Towards the end of their dinner, the girl danced out of her seat and stood up joyously. As if she was ready to make an important announcement, she raised her hand to catch her parents' attention.

"Wanna hear about my day?"

"Sure, how was it?" The hero asked, coming out of the kitchen with a completed tray of creamy cupcakes.

"Frankie fell asleep in the class and got sent to detention by Mr. Moose but he later glued him to a chair. Fannie got her solo at the music festival and freaked out when she saw Mr. Bears come to watch her sing. He blew up the entire hall by accident but Fannie still got her champion. Snuggles got hit by a tree branch while running in gym but that indirectly got him a kiss from Fannie in the infirmary." The girl reported as if the series of events came out more like a television show.

"And you, cupcake? What were you doing all this time?" The hero snickered, sprinkling the toppings on his beloved desserts.

"I was…missing you both all this time." The girl answered. The two men froze and stared at their daughter in surprise.

"Happy Father's Day, Dads!" Splendia shouted. Clutching both her parents' hands, she dragged them towards the couch. "Sit. I'm going to present you Splendia's super supreme gifts."

Dashing into her room, the girl quickly rummaged in her drawer and scrambled back downstairs. Getting her parents seated, the girl started handing out what she had prepared. She held out a green package to the former thief and an identical blue one to the hero.

"And here are two exclusive dolls I sewed!" The girl boasted, handing two key chains to her fathers, one of which showed a blue squirrel doll and the other one was a stuffed raccoon doll.

"Did you...sew these?" Splendid gulped, examining the toy in his hands.

"That's right. You taught me how to sew so I was really going to use that skill. Do you like it? Are you going to hang it on your bag?" The girl asked elatedly.

"Yea, but…why is mine a raccoon? And a green one? Seriously?" The former thief asked, keeping his eyes fixated on the odd-looking toy.

"Because raccoons are born natural thieves!" The girl answered bluntly.

"Good point." The hero nodded, nudging his partner's arm. "It looks a great deal like you too."

"Ugh! I'm…I'm…" The greenette was about to protest when he caught his daughter's eyes gleaming with expectation. "Do you like it, Dad?"

"Of course, I love it! Anything from you is worth a thousand diamonds!"

"Don't listen to him. He certainly prefers diamonds." Splendid said.

"Well then, when I grow up and I can afford one, I'll definitely buy you a diamond!" Splendia said, smiling brightly at the greenette.

"You don't have to buy that for me, precious. Just be happy, okay?" Lifty laughed, twiddling the toy's tail. "It looks cute."

"That's an unabashed way to indirectly compliment yourself." The hero said.

"You're ruining all the fun, Splendy!"

"Dads, quickly open the parcels." The girl urged, kneeling down eagerly in front of the two males who simply exchanged a timid smile and ripped open the wrapping paper.

"You…bought me a pair of new spectacles?" The hero yelped, enraptured by the sight of the refined glasses.

"I know you only wear them for fashion so I've picked the most dazzling pair I could find!" Splendia said, cautiously slipping the spectacles on the hero's nose.

"A tie, huh?" Lifty sniggered, holding up the garment in glee.

"Yes! That pattern is a special one, too! It went out of stock and I placed an order two weeks prior to this. Frankie helped pick that too!" The girl said proudly.

"That kid, eh?" The greenette snorted, somehow provoked by the fact that the redhead had helped his daughter in choosing the gift. "Why is he hanging out with you so often?"

"Because we're friends with benefits!" The girl winked cheerfully. "And isn't that what you taught me?"

"What the hell?" The hero glared at his partner with his mouth wide open. "What did you teach her?"

"I…" The greenette gagged, his expression transforming into a defenseless look. "I didn't mean-"

"To take good things for granted." The girl answered for him. "And to make the best out of everything. So, to wrap things up, I was also helping him pick the new bowie knife for Mr. Bears. That mutuality is what you call comparative advantages, right?"

"Yes!" Lifty said, nodding his head passionately.

"Dumbass, you're stuffing our child with nothing but your crap again!" The hero grumbled, smacking his mate in wrath.

"What? She needs to know where to, you know, take advantages of something. And since this kid is of pretty much use to us, I'll let you hang around him for a while longer, precious. Hahaha." The former thief laughed, swollen with what might be described as pride.

"Fool, you can't treat your dear friend like that, cupcake." Splendid argued, goggling at his daughter worriedly.

"A friend in need is a friend indeed. That's your theory, right?" The girl, seemingly aware of the hero's constant tendency to instill morals in someone, replied wisely.

"Yes! You shouldn't think of comparative advantages or something like that." Splendid said, shooting his lover a warning stare. "And don't you dare manipulate her with all your bullshit again, Lift!"

"But…but…I'm just trying to teach her self-protection! If she's being airheaded like you, she'll be the one being taken granted for!" The greenette rebutted roughly, punching his partner in retaliation.

"Ow! You can't base friendship off money and benefits. It's wrong! It's the mutual affection that matters!" The hero said, yanking the other boy's hair.

"Ah! Stop, Dads, stop fighting!" The girl squealed, successfully hindering the conflict. There's nothing to debate about! I'm not a kid anymore. I know what I'm doing. I'll listen to both of you so I'll do things the both ways. Wouldn't it be ideal then?"

"Um…" The two men gasped, scratching their heads in meditation.

"I…suppose so?" The hero grinned.

"Sure, so, we aren't going to argue over this trivial thing again, huh?" The greenette scoffed.

"No! And guess what? Dads, I'm going to have a sleepover at Fannie's house tonight!" The girl said.

"What? Why? So, you aren't staying with us tonight?" The hero asked, though he must admit there was a spur of moment he really appreciated her abrupt plan.

"Nope, because Mr. and Mrs. Bears are going to spend their weekend in California. Fannie wants me to help her with the homework. Frankie wants me there because he probably thinks Fannie will bug him all night. Snuggles is there, too, because he gets threatened if he doesn't join us, Fannie will dump all his favourite comics into the landfill. So, is that alright? I'll be back on Monday morning!" Splendia said.

"Yea, of course, you can have all the fun you want." The greenette nodded in approval, inwardly laughing at their own luck.

"But-" The hero was about to voice his opinions when the girl shoved another gift box into his hands. "These are the chocolate cookies I've baked in Home Economics. I've made them especially for you, Dads! Enjoy them while I'm away! Oh, and can I bring some cupcakes for my friends too? They always like your desserts. Anyway, Happy Father's Day!"

The couple was rendered speechless as their girl rushed back into her bedroom in super speed, packed everything she needed in a split second and pranced towards the door with the most enigmatic smile they had ever seen. "And, I love you, Dads!"

"Love you, too." The hero, having completely forgotten what he had wanted to say, murmured with a relieved grin.

"Have fun, precious." The greenette waved energetically at Splendia, who as soon as she stepped onto the porch, jumped into the air and disappeared into the murky clouds.

"So, she won't hear us after all." Lifty sniggered, winking flirtatiously at his partner.

"Shut…Shut up." The hero blushed and stood up hastily only to get towed backwards and kissed on the lips. "Ermm…Lester!" The bluenette blenched, shying away from the aggressive male.

"What? I told you I'm not going to hold back tonight, neh." The greenette smiled wilily. With a thud, he hoisted his partner up and ambled towards the stairs.

"Put me down, you perverted brat, dumbass, blockhead, scatterbrain, dweeb, I'm going to split your head into two and freeze you with my ice breath!" The hero screeched, squirming in the thief's arms.

"Why? Be a subservient**_ squirrel_** and we'll have fun tonight, hehee." Lifty laughed, sauntering towards their room mirthfully.

"I'll screw you, Lester, I mean it! Damn filthy **_raccoon_**!" The hero cried, unconsciously submitting to another lustful kiss from his partner.

"Oh, I can't wait, Spencer."

* * *

The redhead's face lit up once he spotted his friend. Perching on the fence, he waved at the bluenette, beckoning her to come over. Splendia landed on the fence and flung her bag at the boy.

"Oi, what's the meaning of this?" Frankie grunted, taking the weighty bag resentfully.

"You invited me for a sleepover party. You carry my stuff." The girl giggled.

"Ugh, I wanna hit you!" The redhead said, though his face revealed otherwise. The bluenette, sensing her friend's reticence, smirked and hooked hands with him. "Tell me why you're thrown out in the street, pet boy."

"Geez, you've got to save me, Splendia." The redhead finally lashed out. "That idiotic sister of mine wants the entire house to herself! She forced me out here."

"But Snuggles is inside?" The bluenette inquired, raising her brows in wonder.

"Yes! That wimp is being devoured by Fannie. So, for the sake of us, if you don't want to stray in the street tonight, go and stop my good-for-nothing sister." The redhead said. "I'm counting on you."

"What? Why me? You're her brother! You ought to stop her." Splendia protested.

"I…er…I can't, haha." Frankie admitted shamefully, though almost everyone knew he was best known for his way of spoiling his twin excessively. "She always listens to you. We guys are totally toys to her. Other than Dad and Mom, you're the only real, concrete being who can discipline her. Go on or I ain't giving this stuff back to you."

"Why, you're so noisome." The bluenette said, dragging the boy towards the green cottage. "And if we barge in like this and they're making out, what should we do?"

"I'll beat Snuggles up." The redhead said.

"Okay, that is ferocious." Splendia laughed, booting open the door only to find two youngsters gorging themselves on a plate full of sushi.

"Heya, Splendia! You're late. And why are you bringing my shabby brother in? He's sleeping in the alleyway." Fannie said, giving the bluenette a welcoming hug.

"Eek, I'm not listening to you anymore, Fannie!" The redhead said, almost tearing up. "You're treating everyone so well except me! I'm going to stop being your twin!"

"Ay, Fannie, don't bully Frankie anymore. It's chilly outside." The bluenette laughed, hugging the other girl back. "It won't be fun without him around. Who's going to do all the dares in the game?"

"Guess you make a good point." Fannie mused and glowered at her brother. "You, if you sneak into my room and steal my video games again, I'll make you kneel in the street and lock you out all night!"

"What? You stole your sister's video games? That's why you're being kicked out of the house?" Splendia laughed, patting her friend's back lightheartedly. "You're so hopeless!"

"Don't be so stingy, Fannie! It's just a game!" Frankie sulked. "I hate you."

"I hate you more." The greenette asserted, strolling back to the blond around the table.

"By the way, are you sure it's alright to leave your dads alone?" The redhead grasped his friend's hand and whispered. "Won't they feel lonely without you around?"

"No." The bluenette smiled, cooing back into the boy's ears. "I'm sure they'll enjoy it better without me around tonight."

"Wow, so romantic. This type of things kinda always happens in our house." The redhead confessed. "Dad and Mom have no restraints at all. They moan like crazy. That's why I always keep a pair of ear plugs to myself at night."

"Isn't it a good thing? That proves how much they love each other."

"You're probably right. They think we kids only get in their way." The redhead shrugged apathetically. "I can never understand what's so good about sex."

"Don't ask me. I'm as clueless as you." The bluenette said, mulling over the whole love-making issue with little interest.

"Frankie! Splendia! Are you going to have sushi with us or not?" The greenette shouted impatiently, gesturing her brother and Splendia to get around the dining table.

"Hey, I know what we can do tonight other than pillow fight." The redhead muttered, blinking skittishly at the bluenette who didn't seem to catch any hints from his malevolent scheme.

"What?"

"Ever heard of spying others on sex?"

"That's wicked." Splendia mocked. "Are you planning on stalking them?"

"In or not? It's more fun than playing truth or dare."

"If you say so."

"Friends with benefits, eh?" The redhead sneered, fiddling with the girl's ponytail friskily.

"Way to go, dude." The bluenette replied as they walked towards the other two youngsters cunningly.

* * *

**A/N:** Well...I can't imagine I've finished this story =o= I wrote it during my summer trip which was around a few weeks ago. The main idea of this whole tale revolves around family complications and adolescent friendship, which I suppose may not be as interesting as those erotic, smutty stories I usually write xD But I did have pretty much fun writing this one. In case you're wondering what happens later that night, I'll tell you here.

Splendid and Lifty obviously made out that night and for how many times they had sex, I'll leave it to your own imagination. They truly enjoyed a night free of their beastie for sure. And years after years, on every Father's Day, Spelndia will prepare a gift for both of them and I can say they finally live happily ever after. OMG, it sounds so corny.

Okay, what happened to Splendia and Frankie was that, they did try to spy on Snuggles and Fannie that night, but...they didn't find what they wanted to see xD They even fell asleep while waiting outside the corridor, only to be discovered in the next morning. It's really dumb lol :D

And...I guess after this chapter, you wouldn't actually think of Splendia as an innocent angel. She has her own devilish sides. She's totally someone out of everyone's expectation. Her strategies with handling her parents, her dear friends are all pretty super special, just like her :)

Recently, I've received an interesting request from _Rin asa uchiha_ on an exclusive side story about Frankie's past. It will talk about how he got his split personality and surprised his family. I will be working on this tale later, so if anyone of you is interested, stay tuned :P That story will probably involve current shipping of Frankie x Splendia and the major flashbacks of the unusually intense brother-sister relationship between Frankie and Fannie. By the way, Frankie is in fact older than Fannie by two minutes xD


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